Vol. 234 No. 4
asked the Minister for Local Government if with a view to increasing the supply of housing accommodation he will take such steps as may be necessary, including the introduction of legislation, to prevent the demolition of any housing accommodation until the person responsible for the demolition erects an alternative amount of housing accommodation.
18.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will introduce if necessary by legislation a system of building licences to permit the erection of non-essential luxury stores, offices and housing accommodation for the wealthy, only if the developers concerned erect an appropriate number of dwellings for persons with limited means; and, if not, why.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 18 together.
As I have indicated in reply to a question by Deputy Moore on 23rd April, 1968, and elsewhere, I intend to introduce shortly proposals for legislation relating to the demolition or change of user of habitable houses.
In so far as control of non-residential or the more expensive residential building is concerned, I am not satisfied that a system of licensing with restrictive conditions of the type mentioned by the Deputy would be in the public interest, primarily because there is no guarantee that the finance for these projects would not be diverted to other purposes or to other countries, with adverse effects not only on the building industry, in which employment has grown from 59,600 in 1961 to 73,000 in 1967, but on the economy as a whole. Neither am I convinced that, in the ultimate, the system would result in the erection of more houses.
Would the Minister not agree that lack of capital and lack of building skills are two factors which are contributing towards the utterly inadequate supply of new housing accommodation; and, if this be so, would he not agree that it would increase the amount of money, skill and labour available for the building of houses if he were to require that a certain percentage be expended on the building of houses as a priority?
I do not agree with the Deputy's statement that there is an utterly inadequate provision of houses. The provision of houses has been expanding at a very satisfactory rate, and, in fact, we have exceeded the target that was set for 1970 in the past year. Apart from that, as I said, I have no way of ensuring that the prevention of the use of capital for this purpose would result in its use for the provision of low-cost houses.
Could the Minister explain how it is that, without arguing over the failure or alleged success in the past 12 months, the Government's target is about 20,000 houses below what they forecast four years ago, and that even that target was about 40,000 below what the country really required?
I do not know what Deputy Ryan is talking about; I do not think he does either.
What about Limerick where there were no houses built by the corporation last year?
The housing needs in Limerick are covered by the houses in progress, the sites that have been acquired and the plans that are in preparation.
But you are not building them. It is not plans but houses that are needed.
That is just what the Opposition do not realise, that it is not possible to provide houses without sites and without plans.
The dead hand of Fianna Fáil fell on housing in 1957, and there were no houses built from 1957 to 1965. That is why the people have not got the houses today either in Limerick or here in Dublin. Is that not true?
The dead hand is on your left.
