asked the Minister for Local Government whether, in view of the recently announced policy in respect of the building of flats in the City Quay area, he will remove the veto on the construction of flats in that area.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Erection of Flats in Dublin Areas.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the acute need for central housing for dock and other workers in the City Quay area; and whether, in view of this need, he is now prepared to accede to the representations repeatedly made for sanction for the building of flats in this area.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to answer Questions Nos. 37 and 38 together.
I have imposed no veto on the construction of flats in the City Quay area and I will be prepared to consider any proposals on the subject which Dublin Corporation may submit for my approval.
As the town plans are at present before the Minister, will he exercise his functions in that regard in order to permit Dublin Corporation to construct flats in that area?
I think it would be well for the House to realise that the plan that the Deputy has mentioned is a plan that was prepared, proposed and submitted by the Dublin Corporation to the Department of Local Government. That plan, in its present draft state, and until such time as it has been confirmed by the Minister for Local Government, does not give any legal effect to the proposals contained in the draft plan. So far as the proposition to build flats or houses in the City Quay area, which has been zoned under the proposed plan submitted by the Dublin Corporation as an industrial area, is concerned, it does not follow from it that houses may not be built but it does follow that the initiation of all proposals relating to the building of houses in that area must originate, as is the case in all other local authorities, with the housing authority. It might be well to add that only one proposition for the construction of flats in the City Quay area has been received in the last 20 years from the Dublin Corporation and that was some years ago for an insignificant scheme which was not approved.
Can we take it now that that scheme for which the residents in the City Quay area are anxious and which was vetoed absolutely by the Minister's predecessor, a Deputy sitting in this House to-day, can now be reconsidered?
That is not to be taken from what I have told the Deputy. What can be taken is that I am anxious, and also the Government and my Department are anxious that any proposals for the building of houses in the City Quay area which are meritorious in their own right, coming from the housing authority, will be given sympathetic consideration and I hope that they do come forward.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state the date on which approval was conveyed to the Dublin Corporation for its proposal to build flats in Hogan Place, the date on which final sanction was given by his Department, and the estimated date of the handing over of these flats by the contractor concerned.
Approval to plans prepared by Dublin Corporation for a scheme of flats at Hogan Place was conveyed by the Department's letter of 27th February, 1954. Sanction was given by the Department on 4th January, 1957, to the acceptance of a tender for the building of the flats and I understand that the corporation expect to have the flats handed over by the contractor on 30th June, 1958.
I take it from the Minister's statement that, in effect, he agrees that this new look on flats in the Dublin City area did not start and could not commence until within two or three weeks of a general election, that these flats, which are particularly attractive and can be described as having the new look, were approved when he was not in office and were sanctioned as a result of the efforts of the previous Parliamentary Secretary?
I should like the House to know that first approval was given on the 27th February, 1954. I think that is worth noting. Secondly, it is also worth noting that final approval, which had been delayed from then until 1957, was not given until the beginning of January, 1957, when there was also an election on the way for those in the know.