Dara Park remedial works funding
The Minister allocated £60,000 for initial remedial works and said further funding would be considered after the pilot scheme’s technical and cost evaluation. He planned to extend the works to six more homes, while acknowledging the scheme’s poor condition and high repair costs.
asked the Minister for the Environment when the remainder of the funds promised to the Dara Park, Newbridge, County Kildare, remedial work scheme will be made available for the low cost housing scheme.
Comment on this
I have allocated £60,000 to Kildare County Council for the initial phase of remedial works to Dara Park in respect of anticipated expenditure this year. A pilot scheme is at present under way and, following the evaluation of the technical and cost results of this work, the allocation of additional funds will be considered.
Comment on this
Is the Minister aware of the absolutely, totally, unsuitable nature of the houses we are talking about? They are cardboard boxes. They are unsuitable for human habitation. They were built as low cost houses to save public funds and will now be the cause of wasting a large amount of public funds. Is the Minister further aware that this scheme was not alone built of cardboard, by and large, but the sewerage scheme did not work and no money was provided to the local authority to correct it over a number of years? All they could do was to give the tenants sandbags to keep the sewage out of their houses every time it rained. In view of this I ask the Minister to agree that at least the £60,000 which has been provided should be allowed to be spent forthwith by the local authority. They are ready; the pilot scheme has been completed; the Department have been advised of that. I ask the Minister to allow the £60,000 to be spent.
Comment on this
I do not think I should pursue that much further now because there is a strong indication that that revised allocation might not even be fully expended this year. But it is available to be spent. The Deputy may take it from me that I must be in a very good humour today because I am sympathetic to this case as well and the four house pilot scheme the Deputy has referred to is going ahead.
Comment on this
The money is not fully expended but it is my intention to extend the contract for a further six dwellings. The Deputy has made a good case in relation to this type of low cost dwelling that has proved such a great expense by way of expenditure on remedial works over the past few years.