asked the Minister for Local Government the terms of the circular issued on 22nd March to each local authority regarding capital expenditure on housing; and if he will state the housing capital allocations made to each such local authority for the year 1966-67 under the headings: (1) loans for house purchase (2) supplementary grants (3) amount in respect of existing commitments and (4) provisional allocation in respect of new work.
Written Answers. - Housing Capital Allocations.
146.
Following is the basic text of the letter which issued on 22nd March last to housing authorities notifying them of their housing capital allocations for 1966-67:—
"I am directed by the Minister for Local Government to refer to the consultations which have been in progress for some time past with housing authorities generally in regard to the capital allocation for housing in the coming financial year. While the global amount which is being provided for housing capital expenditure in 1966/67 will be substantially more than in the current financial year, demands on capital, arising as a result of the accelerated rate of expansion of the housing programme in recent years, temporarily exceed available resources. As a consequence, it is necessary to allocate these resources between services and areas on a basis related to commitments, to the level of activity in recent years and to the demands expected to arise in the coming financial year.
The allocation for the various authorities in your administrative area is as follows:—
HOUSE PURCHASE LOANS AND SUPPLEMENTARY GRANTS
|
Allocation |
|||
|
Authority |
Loans for house purchase |
Supplementary Grants |
Total |
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
It is intended that there should be a certain amount of flexibility in the use of the allocations as between these services subject to the total amount shown above not being exceeded. There should be an immediate review of policy in regard to the making of loans for the purchase of previously occupied houses to conserve available funds as far as possible for the building of new houses. In future, it is suggested that loans for second-hand houses should only be made where a need for rehousing is established which otherwise would fall to be met by a housing authority. Each housing authority should determine the level of allocations which may be made on the basis of the level of expenditure now allowed. In doing so, they should have regard to past experience in the relationship between allocations and payments, and may assume that the capital allocation for payments in 1967-68 will be of the same general order as in 1966-67.
LOCAL AUTHORITY HOUSING
The capital allocation for local authority housing has been decided on the basis of detailed consultations with housing authorities generally in regard to the commitments in respect of work already in progress, and in relation to tenders already before this Department. Where no allocation is now being made on this basis, the position will be reviewed in due course in the light of such proposals as may be submitted later for the acceptance of tenders for new works.
In areas where the allocation which it is possible to make at present is insufficient to enable all projects to proceed immediately it will be for the housing authority to decide the order of priority of the works to be undertaken within available resources. Any saving which it is found possible to make now or at a later stage during the year, in the level of existing commitments, may be used to increase the allocation for new works. This Department should be notified as soon as possible of the decision of the authority on the order of priority of the works to be carried out within the allocation so that the necessary sanction may issue to the appropriate loan or tender proposals before this Department. In the case of any works which it is not possible to release on this basis approval will have to be deferred for the time being pending a general re-appraisal of the situation later in the year.
The planning of housing schemes, generally, should, in the meantime, proceed to tender stage so that there will be no undue delay in their commencement as and when further capital resources become available. Forward land acquisitions present a special problem and should be proceeded with, as far as practicable, on the normal basis of charging them to overdraft accommodation pending the raising of a scheme loan. Housing authorities should also consider the possibility of proceeding at the present juncture by option rather than outright acquisition. In cases where large areas of land involving heavy capital expenditure are being acquired the desirability of taking over the sites, and paying for them in stages in agreement with the owners should be further explored.
The allocations for your area are as follows:—
LOCAL AUTHORITY HOUSING
|
Authority |
Amount in respect of existing commitments |
Provisional allocation, in respect of new work |
|
(£) |
(£) |
New loans for house purchase and supplementary grants will be approved for the amount of allocations which are not already covered by unexpended balances of approved loans. The allocations are intended to cover all capital expenditure normally falling due within the year on the services specified, on the basis that the normal carry-forward arrangements from year to year will continue to operate.
It will be necessary to finance approximately 10 per cent of the global capital allocation for your area for housing, sanitary and miscellaneous services from sources other than the Local Loans Fund, or from internal resources, e.g., receipts from sale of land or other property and special repayments of advances for house purchase loans.
It will also be necessary to exercise control over demands on the Local Loans Fund at source to ensure that each housing authority is adhering to the allocations now notified. For this purpose, it is requested that the monthly housing report be extended to include a statement of the draws on loans within the month. For the purposes of budgeting for demands on the Local Loans Fund, it is requested that a statement be submitted as soon as possible setting out, for each of the four quarters of the coming financial year, the expected extent of the allocations which will be drawn within each quarter."
The capital allocations for the financial year 1966-67, as notified to housing authorities on 22nd March, 1966, are set out in the following table:—
|
Administrative county |
Local Authority |
Allocation for house-purchase loans |
Allocation for supplementary grants |
Allocation for local authority housing schemes |
|
|
Existing commitments |
New works |
||||
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
£ |
||
|
Carlow |
Co. Council |
24,000 |
15,000 |
4,500 |
20,000 |
|
Cavan |
Co. Council |
35,000 |
70,000 |
6,000 |
5,000 |
|
Clare |
Co. Council |
60,000 |
75,000 |
70,000 |
19,000 |
|
Ennis U.D.C. |
4,000 |
1,500 |
4,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Kilrush U.D.C. |
5,000 |
1,000 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
|
Cork |
Co. Council (N.) |
53,000 |
17,000 |
||
|
Co. Council (S.) |
590,000 |
130,000 |
59,000 |
19,000 |
|
|
Co. Council (W.) |
20,000 |
Nil |
|||
|
Cobh U.D.C. |
38,000 |
Nil |
|||
|
Mallow U.D.C. |
Nil |
Nil |
40,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Midleton U.D.C. |
14 000 |
Nil |
|||
|
Youghal U.D.C. |
50 000 |
Nil |
|||
|
Donegal |
Co. Council |
60,000 |
115,000 |
80,000 |
61,000 |
|
Buncrana and Letter- kenny U.D.C.'s |
Nil |
Nil |
3,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Dublin |
Co. Council |
650,000 |
Nil |
160,000 |
160,000 |
|
Dun Laoghaire B.C. |
Nil |
Nil |
13,000 |
50,000 |
|
|
Galway |
Co. Council |
50,000 |
155,000 |
60,000 |
20,000 |
|
Ballinasloe U.D.C. |
4,000 |
900 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
|
Galway B.C. |
85,000 |
Nil |
180,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Kerry |
Co. Council |
50,000 |
19,000 |
55,000 |
35,000 |
|
Listowel U.D.C. |
Nil |
600 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
|
Tralee U.D.C. |
Nil |
Nil |
70,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Kildare |
Co. Council |
85,000 |
24,000 |
50,000 |
24,000 |
|
Athy U.D.C. |
Nil |
1,400 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
|
Naas U.D.C. |
Nil |
2,000 |
1,500 |
Nil |
|
|
Kilkenny |
Co. Council |
35,000 |
Nil |
55,000 |
20,000 |
|
Kilkenny B.C. |
5,000 |
1,200 |
Nil |
17,000 |
|
|
Laois |
Co. Council |
27,000 |
34,000 |
5,000 |
35,000 |
|
Leitrim |
Co. Council |
9,000 |
44,000 |
Nil |
9,000 |
|
Limerick |
Co. Council |
90,000 |
68,000 |
117,000 |
48,000 |
|
Longford |
Co. Council |
34,000 |
34,000 |
2,300 |
Nil |
|
Longford U.D.C. |
6,000 |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
|
|
Louth |
Co. Council |
42,000 |
24,000 |
18,000 |
40,000 |
|
Drogheda B.C. |
100,000 |
20,000 |
170,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Dundalk U.D.C. |
25,000 |
4,000 |
160,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Mayo |
Co. Council |
10,000 |
65,000 |
||
|
Ballina U.D.C. |
5,000 |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
|
|
Castlebar U.D.C. |
20,000 |
5,000 |
|||
|
Westport U.D.C. |
11,000 |
4,000 |
|||
|
Meath |
Co. Council |
130,000 |
55,000 |
Nil |
23,000 |
|
An Uaimh U.D.C. |
3,000 |
Nil |
5,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Ceanannus Mór U.D.C. |
Nil |
400 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
|
Monaghan |
Co. Council |
40,000 |
19,000 |
25,000 |
Nil |
|
Offaly |
Co. Council |
28,000 |
58,000 |
24,000 |
21,000 |
|
Birr U.D.C. |
3,000 |
Nil |
1,700 |
Nil |
|
|
Tullamore U.D.C. |
12,000 |
1,500 |
20,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Roscommon |
Co. Council |
30,000 |
74,000 |
20,000 |
10,000 |
|
Sligo |
Co. Council |
30,000 |
55,000 |
14,000 |
32,000 |
|
Sligo B.C. |
38,000 |
3,000 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
|
Tipp. (N.R.) |
Co. Council |
35,000 |
Nil |
100,000 |
28,000 |
|
Nenagh U.D.C. |
Nil |
4,500 |
15,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Templemore U.D.C. |
Nil |
600 |
1,000 |
20,000 |
|
|
Thurles U.D.C. |
Nil |
1,700 |
9,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Tipp. (S.R.) |
Co. Council |
14,000 |
Nil |
9,000 |
30,000 |
|
Carrick-on-Suir U.D.C. |
Nil |
700 |
Nil |
50,000 |
|
|
Cashel U.D.C. |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
20,000 |
|
|
Clonmel B.C. |
90,000 |
12,000 |
30,000 |
20,000 |
|
|
Tipperary U.D.C. |
Nil |
1,200 |
20,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Waterford |
Co. Council |
35,000 |
15,000 |
58,000 |
16,000 |
|
Dungarvan U.D.C. |
9,000 |
3,000 |
18,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Westmeath |
Co. Council |
44,000 |
48,000 |
23,000 |
Nil |
|
Athlone U.D.C. |
25,000 |
1,400 |
14,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Wexford |
Co. Council |
50,000 |
43,000 |
24,000 |
30,000 |
|
Enniscorthy U.D.C. |
Nil |
Nil |
25,000 |
19,500 |
|
|
New Ross U.D.C. |
Nil |
Nil |
3,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Wexford B.C. |
15,000 |
Nil |
90,000 |
10,000 |
|
|
Wicklow |
Co. Council |
36,000 |
19,000 |
33,000 |
20,000 |
|
Arklow U.D.C. |
25,000 |
Nil |
6,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Bray U.D.C. |
7,000 |
5,000 |
10,000 |
Nil |
|
|
Wicklow U.D.C. |
30,000 |
Nil |
7,000 |
25,000 |
|
|
County Boroughs |
|||||
|
Cork |
Co. Boro' Cl. |
550,000 |
60,000 |
200,000 |
110,000 |
|
Dublin |
Co. Boro' Cl. |
1,000,000 |
150,000 |
5,990,000 |
375,000 |
|
Limerick |
Co. Boro' Cl. |
300,000 |
70,000 |
400,000 |
Nil |
|
Waterford |
Co. Boro' Cl. |
75,000 |
18,000 |
68,000 |
300,000 |