Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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165. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15860/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My colleague, Minister of State Damien English, last week published the fifth annual progress report and seventh housing survey on tackling the issue of unfinished housing developments. This 2016 update report reveals a 85% drop in the unfinished developments since 2010, from nearly 3,000 to 420, with 248 developments resolved in 2016 alone.

My Department's objective is to resolve all remaining unfinished housing developments, especially those within high market demand locations. The results of the 2016 survey indicate that the parts of developments that are occupied are in the vast amount of cases now well established and finished to a good standard.

My Department engages with all local authorities, including Louth County Council, on unfinished housing developments to keep their progress under constant review. In this context, Louth County Council advised my Department last October of the development in question where there is one occupied unit within an incomplete development.

In advance of categorising the development, clarification was sought by my Department as to whether the area in question represented an ‘unfinished’ housing development as opposed to a cluster of individual or one-off homes.

Louth County Council subsequently contacted my Department on 10 January, proposing that the Department consider adding this estate to the list of unfinished housing developments as the Council had established it was an ‘unfinished’ development. However, at that stage, my Department had already completed and finalised the 2016 survey. The 2017 survey will be commenced during the Summer and at that stage, this development will be considered for survey by the Department.