Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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22. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the delays experienced by Rebuilding Ireland projects in the Kerry local authority area due to the Covid-19 pandemic. [17498/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Local authorities, are experiencing some delays on construction projects due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions. However, Kerry County Council is actively working with all stakeholders to ensure that any delays are kept to an absolute minimum and that badly needed projects proceed with a view to completion in the most timely manner possible.

Since taking up office in late June, I established a High Level Housing Delivery Group of key stakeholders, consisting of representatives of the County and City Manager’s Association, the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office, the Housing Agency, the Irish Council of Social Housing and the Housing Alliance, to drive social housing delivery in 2020, taking account of the impact of Covid-19. All efforts are being made to make up any lost ground and to avail of delivery opportunities.

In addition, I have recently launched a campaign in conjunction with the Housing Agency entitled “Call for Housing 2020” which is a new national call for property owners and developers with vacant properties to make them available to other during this time, in order to optimise the opportunities to deliver new homes immediately.