asked the Minister for Local Government whether he is aware that a number of approved applicants for cottages in the West Cork area are denied housing accommodation by reason of the inability of the local authority to obtain tenders for the erection of cottages in individual cases; and, if so, whether he will urge upon the local authority the desirability of having such cottages erected by direct labour.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cottage Building in West Cork.
Mr. Murphy
I am aware that the Cork County Council has yet to make arrangements for the erection of 30 out of 114 cottages comprised in a scheme of rural cottages in West Cork for which applicants have already been approved, but that the council expects that satisfactory tenders will be obtainable for the majority of these cottages within a reasonable time. All housing authorities, including the Cork County Council, have already been urged to consider the possibility of erecting cottages by direct labour as a supplement to the contract system where circumstances warrant, and some schemes have, in fact, been carried out in West Cork by this method. The question of extending direct labour operations is a matter primarily for the council, having regard to local conditions.