Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1639. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35397/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The National Taking-in-Charge Initiative (NTICI) for residential estates was launched in April 2016 to support and accelerate overall national action on the taking-in-charge process for housing estates.  A specific focus of the initiative was to expedite progress by local authorities and relevant stakeholders, including Irish Water, in addressing a build-up of pending cases relating to housing developments not yet taken in charge.

A €10m fund to kick-start the process of dealing with the taking-in-charge issue was made available in 2016.  Under the terms of the NTICI, only those developments subject to valid taking-in-charge applications were eligible for inclusion in the call for proposals.  It is important to note that the NTICI was not intended to establish a rolling annual funding programme to take in charge all estates not yet taken in charge, but was instead intended to develop better knowledge and systems to support the taking-in-charge of further estates over time.  They are no plans at present to make further funding available for this initiative.

The 2016 NTICI Programme identified and highlighted the scale of housing estates nationwide that await the taking-in-charge process.  The experience gained through this new funding initiative has helped to establish a new nationally co-ordinated taking-in-charge database and local authorities can now implement a multi-annual programme, using available financial resources, to progressively address the backlog of estates not yet taken in charge.

Kerry County Council was allocated funding of €362,652 under the NTICI in relation to a number of proposed schemes in Co. Kerry.

A report on the 2016 NTICI programme is currently being finalised by my Department and it is intended to publish the report shortly. The report will include findings and recommendations on sustaining progress on the taking-in-charge issue, which is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.