I propose to ask the Committee to agree with the following amendment introduced in the Seanad:
Section 3. A new sub-section inserted before sub-section (3) as follows:—
"(3) Whenever the Minister is satisfied that a house in respect of which a grant may be made under this Act was erected for occupation by a particular person in substitution for another house which, while occupied by such person, was rendered uninhabitable by coast erosion, the grant (if any) made by the Minister under this Act in respect of such House may exceed the appropriate limit specified in the first sub-section of this section, but shall not exceed such of the limits specified in Part I (exclusive of the Note appended thereto) of the Second Schedule to the Housing Act, 1925 (No. 12 of 1925), as is appropriate to such grant."
Deputies will remember that on the Report Stage a question was raised as to whether anything special might be done to assist those people who recently, in Greystones, had their houses destroyed by the action of the sea. The matter received the consideration of the Department, and in co-operation with the Board of Health it was estimated that about twenty houses were involved, that ten houses could be replaced by the building of labourers' cottages, and ten would probably be erected by private persons to replace houses destroyed. Certain arrangements were tentatively entered into with the Board of Health that they would undertake to build ten cottages, and that they would recommend the County Council to give a grant equal to the State grant to private persons building houses to replace those that were destroyed. Arising out of that, this amendment proposes that houses built by a local authority or private persons to replace those private houses in Greystones, if erected before February of next year, will be entitled to State grants at the rate that existed up to the 1st of April last rather than to the grants at the reduced rates that are enshrined in this Bill. The amendment is in general terms, so that if there are any other houses outside Greystones that come within the limited range of time and money no one will have a grievance.