Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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289. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason ten houses (details supplied) in Cluainín, Mountrath, County Laois, have been left idle for three years. [3942/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I understand that the units referred to in the Question were purchased by an Approved Housing Body (AHB) using their own finance in November 2015. These units, when ready for occupation, will be made available to the local authority for social housing under long-term Payment and Availability arrangements between the AHB and the local authority, the cost of which will be funded by my Department’s Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP). I am advised that following the purchase of the units, an architect was appointed by the AHB to oversee the necessary completion works and detailed inspections revealed a number of issues that required resolution in order to ensure tenant safety and compliance with the building control legislation.  Laois County Council has been kept informed of the issues with this development throughout 2016 and it is anticipated that work on the units will be completed in June 2017.