asked the Minister for Local Government whether any, and if so, which local authorities had on the last convenient date any houses vacant for which they were unable to obtain tenants.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Authorities' Vacant Houses.
Information on the lines requested by the Deputy is not furnished to my Department. The total number of local authority dwellings returned by local authorities as unoccupied on 31st March, 1958, was 462. These would, however, have been mainly dwellings which were then unoccupied pending occupation by new tenants.
Is the Minister not aware that there have been suggestions contained in Government statements that there are houses unoccupied, houses for which the local authority was unable to get a tenant; and, if that is so, must not that information have come in some way from his Department, seeing that the Government issued it?
I am not too sure about that but, if the Deputy cares to go into it further, I shall get him any information available as to where the information came from.