asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state, in relation to the private sites at Ballsgrove in Drogheda, County Louth, which are being leased by Drogheda Corporation by way of fine and long lease, what is the normal length of time between the date the lease is received in his Department for the affixing of his official seal and the time his seal is affixed and the lease returned from his Department; and what steps he proposes to take to expedite the machinery for the affixing of his official seal in these cases.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Leasing of Drogheda Sites.
9.
The time which elapses between the submission of a lease for a private site at Ballsgrove and its return, duly sealed, is generally of the order of three to eight weeks. The statutory authority under which these leases are made is section 11 of the Housing (Ireland) Act, 1919, which requires my consent to the transaction. I recently made an order bringing section 88 of the Housing Act, 1966, into force on 31st May. This section will replace section 11 in so far as the disposal of land is concerned. Under it and other provisions of the Act, a housing authority need not send transfer documents to me for signature, so long as they observe the minimum terms of sale laid down in the Housing Authorities (Loan Charges Contributions and Management) Regulations, 1967. Section 11 will, of course, continue to operate for a limited further period so as to enable current transactions under it to be completed.