asked the Minister for Local Government the average price of grant type houses in the Dublin area at the following approximate dates: March and December of the years 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 and March and October, 1966.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin House Prices.
14.
The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department.
15.
asked the Minister for Local Government if, in view of the increase in the price of houses, particularly grant type houses, he will without delay provide an increase in the existing State grant of £285.
The scales of State grants for houses, including flats and maisonettes, erected by private enterprise were fully reviewed prior to the passing of the Housing Act, 1966. The record numbers of new houses built by private enterprise in recent years do not indicate that a need exists for revising the existing scales of grants provided for in the Act.
Is the Minister not aware that the price of grant type houses has risen steadily and that the problem of people anxious to purchase houses is becoming more difficult because of the heavy amount they have to try to put up by way of deposit? Some few years ago a deposit was in the neighbourhood of £150 to £200, whereas people are now required to pay anything from £700 to £800. Would he not agree that this is a hardship on the people concerned and accept some responsibility to ease the problem of these people?
Of course the income limits for supplementary grants have been raised and the amounts of maximum loans obtainable have also been raised. Of course, incomes generally have also been increasing during the period in question.
Surely the Minister is aware that applicants for loans are not all people who are on the maximum of the limit—that, in fact, many of them have incomes which are much below the maximum?
All this is argument not a question.