Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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663. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if third parties can apply to for funding from the local infrastructure housing activation fund towards private housing developments. [11449/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) provides funding to local authorities for the provision of public infrastructure to relieve critical infrastructure blockages in order to accelerate the delivery of housing on both state-owned and private development sites in Dublin and in other urban areas of high demand for housing.

As part of Budget 2018, I announced that an additional €50 million Exchequer funding will be available for a second LIHAF call. This will, as was the case in the original LIHAF call, be subject to matching funding by local authorities, where the Department will provide 75% Exchequer funding, with the Local Authorities themselves providing 25% matching funding. This will bring overall LIHAF funding under both calls to €266 million.

My Department is currently finalising a call for proposals under phase 2 of LIHAF. All applications for funding must be made by local authorities and the funding will be provided to successful local authorities who will build the infrastructure themselves. However, as in the first phase of LIHAF, it is expected that local authorities will engage with third parties prior to application to make agreements regarding the delivery of housing on the development sites that the infrastructure is intended to activate.