When I reported progress before Question Time, I was dealing with one aspect that would contribute towards a solution of our housing problem. I was referring to newly-married couples who are married today and who create the housing problem of tomorrow. If we could make schemes available by way of grants and long-term loans to newly-married couples in the category for which the county council accept responsibility to rehouse. I believe it would prove an incentive to many couples to build their own houses, thereby removing from the waiting list a problem that was destined for the local authority if this young couple decided to make their home in Ireland.
Local authorities, and this is particularly true of Donegal County Council, have failed to provide houses for the people. The only alternative for the people is to apply for an SDA loan or to some building society or insurance company for money wherewith to build houses for themselves. These people take on a responsibility which should be the responsibility of the local authority. So frustrated have people become, that they have, to put it bluntly, got fed up waiting to be re-housed by their local authorities. It is a good thing that they shoulder this responsibility if the Government can provide money over a long-term period by way of loan to enable these people to house themselves. Over the past 12 months. I addressed several questions to the Minister in regard to the delay in the payment of supplementary grants and the honouring of certain loans promised by the county manager. On foot of the promise made by the county manager, people have entered into certain commitments, purchased sites, drawn up contracts, and so on, only to be told that the money was not forthcoming under the SDA: the well had run dry.
All sorts of excuses were made, excuses which were accepted by the less well informed, who are always prepared to accept any explanation which appears to them to be reasonable. I know it is the responsibility of the Government to advance funds to meet withdrawals. These particular schemes are only operated by local authorities; they should be financed by the Government. I know many people—I am sure the Minister does, too—in Donegal, who have committed themselves and their families in the past 12 months to many years of debt and heavy responsibilities, responsibilities which should rightly rest on the local authority. These people have been let down.
At no stage did the county manager give the exact position. He kept quiet about it. But the position in Donegal was that the local authority had pledged £52,000 to applicants who wished to build their own houses. There was a waiting list representing another £50,000 or £60,000. The Government advanced £60,000. In other words, £52,000 was pledged to people who had applied and who were approved for long-term loans. The Government may not be entirely responsible for the present economic situation of the country, but it is very difficult now to understand or to explain the slogans of 18 months ago: everything in the garden is lovely; this is not the time for a change; let Lemass lead on; do not put back the clock; do not change horses in midstream. That was the advice given by Fianna Fáil to the electorate.
No sooner are Fianna Fáil returned to power than the Taoiseach admits there is a credit squeeze. Up to this very moment the Minister for Local Government has not been man enough to admit that the reason we are not building houses in Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Waterford and everywhere else in the country, including North-East Donegal, is that the Government are bust. The money that should have been provided for houses has been squandered by the Government in an effort to change a predominantly agricultural economy into an industrial economy.
Notice taken that 20 Members were not present; House counted, and 20 Members being present.
