asked the Minister for Local Government whether in present circumstances he will declare a housing emergency and arrange for the channelling of the resources of the building industry into the building of houses.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Building of Houses.
32.
No. Declarations do not build houses.
In the past nine financial years over 84,000 houses have been built and about 135,000 grants paid for reconstruction or improvement, at a total cost of about £282,000,000 in capital and £78,000,000 in subsidies met from central taxation and rates. It is estimated that a further £57,000,000 in capital and £13,000,000 in subsidies will be spent in this financial year. The Government's intentions for the continuance of the housing programme are set out in the White Paper which I published last June.
Housing programmes on this scale have been possible because the infrastructure of roads, water and sewerage, factories, offices, hotels, hospitals, schools, universities, sea and airports and other forms of construction essential to social and economic progress have been provided as well. While I yield to no one in my desire to get houses built, I am not convinced that interference with these other forms of construction would, in the ultimate, result in an increase in housing output or that men or money diverted from these forms of construction would necessarily be available for housing work.
If we are looking to see that the building industry concentrates on the building of houses, is it not ludicrous to find it concentrating on areas which are not of real need to the community?
It does not happen.
What does not happen?
What the Deputy said.
That the building industry in Dublin is not concentrating to a great extent on office development?
That is correct.
Is the Minister saying that the present building programme is satisfactory, that we are building sufficient accommodation in dwellings for the need that exists? Is the Minister saying that the situation is satisfactory?
We are building as much as the economy can support.
As much as the building industry can support? In other words, it will be pegged to £10 million?
We are building as much as the economy of the country can support. It is able to supply an increasing amount of money every year under this administration but the amount of money which the economy of the country can supply is not unlimited. It depends on the development and expansion of the economy. That depends on other forms of construction as well as housing. That is why it has been possible for this Government to keep the number of houses built every year increasing every year for the past ten years. It is because the other parties adopt a different approach that even a building programme going at full stretch, when they take it over, can last only three years under their administration.
Is there not an average of 400 new applications each month to Dublin Corporation for new housing accommodation? Does the Minister know this fact?
That is very likely true.
I am not aware of the actual figures. That, again, is an indication of the improvement in the economy.
A Deputy
The flight from the land?
Is not the housing situation in Dublin becoming worse and, in the next three years, will it not be that much worse in short-fail each year for housing? The Minister in these circumstances can only repeat that we cannot allocate more than we are allocating to housing at present.
The housing situation in Dublin is not becoming worse.
Is it not a fact that Dublin County Council were told they have no money to pay housing loans from 1st September?
That is untrue.
It is not.
Then the Minister is saying that the city and county manager is telling us lies, which I do not believe.
The city and county manager did not say it.
The city and county manager said he was told by the Department of Local Government that he could not sanction loans after 1st September.
That is not what the Deputy said originally—any loans sanctioned after 1st September would not involve any payment in this financial year.
Why are we not allowed to sanction loans?
Because we want to build houses next year and the year after and the year after—not like the alternative Government who were concerned only with the short-term and who allowed the building industry and the housing programme to collapse.
We are back to Deputy P.J. Burke's famous bag of cement.
The alternative Government allowed the building industry and the housing programme to collapse. Under this Government, neither of these things happened and neither of them will happen.
We have seven months of the year in which we cannot sanction loans.
No. 33.
Dublin city and Dublin county have sufficient money.
For six months.
You are back to the Coalition clap trap. You are not building the houses.
(Interruptions.)
We are building the houses. It is because the people refused to accept that lie that we are back to build houses for another five years.
You are not building houses.
You have not the price of a wheelbarrow.