147. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which his Department is supporting a holistic approach to a regeneration project (details supplied) to ensure it provides not only high-quality housing, but also the essential community infrastructure and public realm improvements required for the area; and if he will ensure that the funding mechanism remains flexible enough to deliver these vital community amenities alongside the residential refurbishment. [37546/26]

I remain fully committed to the regeneration of Oliver Bond House and other regeneration projects being progressed through my Department’s regeneration programme.

Mine and Government’s commitment to regenerating social housing estates and flat complexes across Dublin City is demonstrated through the many successfully completed and ongoing regeneration projects by Dublin City Council. Indeed, since 2016, almost €1 billion has been committed by my Department to regeneration projects being advanced by Dublin City Council.

A range of funding mechanisms are available to local authorities through my Department to support the remediation and regeneration of local authority homes and to support related public realm and community facilities. Some €260 million will be provided to local authorities this year alone for these purposes.?

However, and I can’t stress this strongly enough, the ongoing management and maintenance of local authority homes is the statutory responsibility of local authorities. Local authority officials and elected members are obliged to ensure adequate funding is provided for this purpose as part of their annual budget process. That said, my Department continues to provide very significant funding to supplement local authority own resources in this regard. But this is not, and can never be, a replacement for a local authority’s own investment in the upkeep of its social homes.

I met with the residents of Oliver Bond House only a short while ago. I reaffirmed mine and my Department’s commitment to the regeneration of Blocks L, M and N of the Oliver Bond Flat complex. I assured them, contrary to what has been widely reported, my Department has not refused regeneration funding for Oliver Bond House. Funding of almost €25m remains in place for the regeneration project. In addition funding of €2.5m for Precinct Improvement Works and €1.37m for a community centre remain in place and my Department will continue to fund the Estate Regeneration Officer who is working to ensure there is a holistic approach taken to dealing with the issues affecting the estate and assist the local community throughout the regeneration process.

I am confident, on foot of ongoing engagement between all stakeholders that there is clear pathway to resolving this issue and that an agreed regeneration proposal, which is acceptable to all, can be agreed relatively quickly.