asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware that a local authority cannot under present legislation purchase one of their own houses advertised for sale; and if in order to keep a fair pool of local authority houses for needy applicants he will introduce legislation enabling local authorities to buy back local authority houses at market value.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Purchase of Local Authority Houses.
12.
I am not so aware. Section 56 of the Housing Act, 1966, empowers a housing authority to erect, acquire, purchase, convert or reconstruct, lease or otherwise provide dwellings. In so far as vested cottages are concerned, housing authorities generally were informed by my Department on 24th February, 1966, that, in all cases where the consent of the authority is being sought to the sale of such a cottage to a person who is not in need of housing, the authority should consider if purchase by them to meet an ascertained housing need would be justified.
In the case of local authority dwellings sold, leased or vested, housing authorities have, under section 107 of the Housing Act, 1966, and sections 17 and 24 of the Labourers Act, 1936, as amended by section 102 of the 1966 Act, extensive powers of recovery of the dwellings if the conditions on which they were acquired are broken. In particular, the amendments made by section 102 enable a housing authority to recover possession of a vested cottage summarily if the cottage has not been occupied by a qualified person as his normal place of residence during a continuous period of 18 months.
The introduction of further legislation to deal with the problem referred to by the Deputy does not appear to be necessary.
Is the Minister aware that a large number of these cottages are now for sale and are being sold individually and people in the districts have been awaiting cottages for three or four years? Whatever his Department may say, we are advised by the Cork county solicitor that we have not the power under legislation to compete for and to purchase these houses. I should like the Minister to make it clear now to the Cork county solicitor that we have the power and that there is no need for further legislation. I want the matter cleared up.
The position is as I have stated, that local authorities have got this power.