asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the need for immediate provision of employment in all sections of the building trade, and of an equal need for more houses and flats in the City of Dublin; and, if so, if he will request the City of Dublin housing director to make his target 5,000 houses per annum instead of 2,500 as at present.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Housing Programme.
Mr. A. Byrne
Dublin Corporation is free to expand their housing programme to whatever extent they find practicable.
Mr. A. Byrne
Would the Minister ask the corporation to pull down the 100 or 200 tenement houses that they have shored up at the present moment in order to relieve substantially the unemployment situation? There are hundreds of men in the building trade unemployed at the moment. If the corporation started to clear these sites now these men could be engaged on that work and it would be reproductive work eventually.
The Deputy is himself and so are other Deputies members of the corporation, and I take it that would be a suitable subject to raise at a meeting of the corporation.
Mr. A. Byrne
I have no power. I am not able to do it. I am asking the Minister to help us to get it done in order to provide work for these unemployed men.
The initiative in that matter must be taken by the corporation.