asked the Minister for Local Government what additional money will be made available in the current financial year to Dublin County Council for houses in the Rathdown area; and how much will be made available for local authority housing and housing applications under the Small Dwellings Acts.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Dublin Housing.
50.
Supplementary housing capital allocations totalling £330,000 have been made to Dublin County Council to date in addition to the original total housing allocation of £970,000 notified to the council last March. Of these supplementary allocations, £160,000 was in respect of local authority housing and £170,000 for house purchase loans. It is not possible to indicate separately the amount of these allocations which will be devoted to the Rathdown area.
No final decision has been made as to the amount, if any, of further allocations which may be made to the council, pending the outcome of a general review of the position which is in progress at present.
Could the Minister say if the council are holding up their review of the situation?
I should not imagine so.
Who is doing the review—the council or the Department?
They have been doing a review and the Department would review their review.
Has the Minister not been engaged in a review during the past 12 months?
The Deputy should realise this has been the outcome of the earlier reviews already made known to his local authority, amongst others.
A week before the assembly of the Dáil—it is about time.
The Deputy has been in recess not only from here but apparently also from his local authority; otherwise, he would know the position.
The Deputy has not, but he has been awaiting any review from the Minister that would give us money. The Minister promised us money in May but the Commissioners of Public Works did not say anything until a week ago, and if the Dáil was not assembling this week, we would not have any money yet.
It would appear the Dáil should have met in the middle of July.
51.
asked the Minister for Local Government what additional money will be made available in the current financial year to Dún Laoghaire Corporation for housing; and how much will be made available for local authority housing and housing applications under the Small Dwellings Acts.
As regards local authority housing, no final decision has been made as to the amount, if any, of additional capital which may be allocated to the corporation in the current financial year. Such additional moneys as may be available to housing authorities for new work will be allocated in respect of schemes according as they reach the stage of approval to tenders. No new scheme in Dún Laoghaire has reached that stage. As regards existing housing capital commitments, including land acquisition, housing authorities generally have been asked to submit up-to-date information and the position will be further reviewed when replies have been received from all areas.
With regard to house purchase loans I understand that the corporation are in a position to finance their limited loan activities from special repayments of earlier advances without recourse to borrowing. The question of an additional capital allocation for this purpose does not, therefore, arise.
When the Minister refers to the limited loans being given by the corporation, what does he mean? Who is limiting them?
It means the demand is limited.
The applications are not coming in?
That is right.
The same as in the county council: they have given up the ghost.
If the Deputy went to the trouble of finding out, he would know the number of private houses likely to be built in Dún Laoghaire is very small because there has been no housing activity of any great extent there for a number of years. That is the limiting factor.