asked the Minister for Local Government whether, either by custom or by law, the Dublin Corporation annually inform his Department of their building programme for the coming year; whether this information was given each year since 1957; and whether on any occasion he informed the Corporation that its suggested programme should be increased or decreased; and if he will state the date or dates of such communication by him to the Dublin Corporation, and the exact terms of such communications.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Corporation Building Programme.
32.
While my Department is regularly informed of the housing proposals of the Dublin Corporation, there is no annual statement furnished of their proposed building programme for the ensuing year, apart from an estimate of their borrowing requirements for their own housing operations and for the purposes of advances under the Housing of the Working Classes Acts.
The assessment of housing needs and the formulation of proposals to meet them are matters for the Corporation and I have not on any occasion to date communicated with the Corporation to the effect that their programme should be increased or decreased. I have, however, on various occasions declared publicly that I should be happy to co-operate with the Corporation in every way open to me to assist them to increase the supply of new tenancies. My last statement to this effect was in reply to a Parliamentary Question by Deputy Major de Valera on the 18th instant.