asked the Minister for Local Government if he will consider making a direct or primary subsidy payment to housing authorities, instead of a residual payment as at present, making it obligatory on the housing authority to pay into the housing services account a specified percentage of the local government subsidy on loan charges.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Housing Subsidy.
15.
At present housing subsidies are paid on the basis of a percentage contribution to loan charges subject to prescribed limits of capital cost, and to the loss to the housing authority arising on a particular scheme. I have already indicated that I intend to modify the application of the latter requirement to the advantage of housing authorities in respect of rural housing schemes financed out of loans sanctioned before the 1st April, 1960, and in respect of urban housing schemes financed out of loans sanctioned before the 1st May, 1953. I do not propose to make any additional modifications in relation to subsidy on the lines suggested by the Deputy.
Under the provisions of the Public Bodies Order, housing authorities are at present required to lodge housing subsidies received by them to the credit of the housing services account.
Would the Minister not say that the words "lost to the housing authority" are the operative words where the subsidy is concerned?
If that were the only thing of real account, I think a lot of the time we spent discussing the other matter on the Housing Bill would not have been necessary.
I shall wait for the replies to the following questions.
16.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state separately as regards subsidies paid under the Labourers Acts in a recent year to (a) Meath County Council, (b) Louth County Council, (c) Monaghan County Council and (d) Dublin County Council (i) the loan charges payable by each housing authority and (ii) the subsidy paid by his Department expressing (ii) as a percentage of (i).
As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement. I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to circulate it with the Official Report.
Following is the information requested by the Deputy for the financial year 1964-65:—
|
Local Authority |
Loan Charges |
Subsidy Paid |
Subsidy as % of loan charges |
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
|
Meath County Council |
83,939 |
44,653 |
53% |
|
Louth County Council |
46,559 |
25,966 |
51.86% |
|
Monaghan County Council |
25,313 |
13,126 |
51.85% |
|
Dublin County Council |
185,294 |
100,091 |
54% |
17.
asked the Minister for Local Government if, in relation to the 66.66 per cent subsidy on loan charges payable to housing authorities under the Housing Acts, he is aware that in relation to a housing scheme of 88 houses (particulars supplied) the loan charges for the year ended 31st March 1963 were £4,442 and the State subsidy was £475 (9.5 per cent); and if he will state why the 66.66 per cent was not paid in that year in respect of that scheme.
I am not so aware. The 88 houses referred to by the Deputy form part of a scheme of 827 houses provided by the Dublin County Council about 1948 to which the then maximum subsidy rate of 60 per cent of subsidisable loan charges applies.
In 1962-63 the total subsidy paid on the 827 house scheme amounted to £10,840. The proportion of this amount applicable to the 88 houses would be approximately £1,152. In addition to the annual subsidy the local authority got a grant of £396 per house from the Transitional Development Fund towards the capital cost of providing the houses.
Is the Minister saying that if houses are built in a local authority area over a number of years, at some stage the 66? per cent grant is reached? Is he also saying that grants given to a local authority for the erection of houses are charged against the amount of loan in order to allow it to be reduced?
I am afraid I do not get the point of either of the questions.
That is good as an answer.
What is obvious is that in no case will the subsidy exceed 66? per cent of the subsidisable limits.
Does the Minister not agree that in fact the subsidy on this particular scheme of houses quoted by me was 9.5 and not 66? per cent?
That is not taking into account any other moneys which were made available. What about the £396——
No; it is either a subsidy on loan charges or it is not.
It came from the State and whether you got it by way of capital or subsidy over a number of years, it adds up to the same thing.
No.
If you get enough.
That is a technicality I do not follow.