asked the Minister for Local Government if he will sanction, as a matter of urgency, the plans, which were submitted by the Cork County Council, for the erection of 12 houses at Ballinacurra, Midleton, County Cork, in view of the acute housing shortage in the area.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Cork Housing.
103.
I have sanctioned these plans.
104.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will sanction tenders submitted by Cork County Council for the erection of houses at Leap and Drinagh, County Cork.
I have sanctioned the acceptance of a tender for the houses at Drinagh. The submission by the council of additional technical information regarding their proposal to accept a tender for four houses at Leap is awaited.
Would the Minister not accept that Cork County Council have been frustrated again and again in their attempts to build houses by his attitude and by the attitude of his Department? Is he aware that the tender submitted for the erection of the four houses at Leap—involving a sum of £11,617, I think—is deemed by the council to be reasonable? Unless it is sanctioned in the not too distant future that tender is likely to be withdrawn. Having regard to those facts, why is the Minister continuously holding up housing proposals from Cork County Council? What is wrong with the tender? We are told that it is approved.
The Deputy is not altogether correct in his allegation that the Department have been holding things up. In relation to the Drinagh area, the proposal to accept the tender for the provision of the two houses was received in the Department on 1st March, 1971, and appoved on 7th May, 1971. In the case of Leap, following an initial examination of the proposal, the housing authority were asked on 11th February, 1971, for a report on the incidence of rock on the site. This report is awaited. The housing authority were asked for it also on 30th June, 1970, when the plans were being approved, but it has not been received yet.
Would the Minister not accept that the engineers attached to the local authority should be able to determine whether a site is suitable? It is wanton waste of public money, and the time of public officials, to have to send lay-out plans for small groups of houses, groups of two, three and four, to the Department for sanction. Is the Minister aware that the Cork County Council engineering staff are satisfied that the lay-out plan is quite suitable and acceptable? Is the Minister also aware that the opinion I expressed about frustration so far as housing in West Cork is concerned is not only my personal opinion but the unanimous opinion of the committee of the council?
When we receive the report on the incidence of rock on the site we will be able to process the proposal.
Does the Minister consider that it is necessary for a local authority to submit a lay-out plan for one house, or two houses, or four houses in this case, to the Department for sanction? Will he not accept the assurance of the local councillors that the site is suitable? Why should public money be expended on sending lay-out plans for relatively small schemes up and down to the Department? That is the greatest nonsense and the biggest waste of time and money that you could think of. Is it not about time that this system was reviewed? Is it not about time that the local authorities got some power or some autonomy— or else abolish them?
The Deputy is making an argument.
This is the reason why the Leap housing scheme is being held up according to the Minister. I do not think it is the reason. My view is that it is because of a shortage of cash and we in West Cork are suffering. This is only a tactic on the part of the Minister. He talks about the lay-out plan. I know the site quite well. We have information that everything is in order and we are waiting to get the green light from the Department and approval for the money so that we can advertise the houses. I am asserting as a Member of this House that I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that there is grave discrimination against us by the Department and that we in West Cork have suffered, but we will not suffer much longer in silence.
The Deputy is making a statement.
If Deputy Murphy is as sincere as he claims to be about this whole matter, all he has to do is to bring pressure on his own local authority to submit the report to the Department which his local authority were asked for first in June of last year and again on 11th February of this year. This report relates to the incidence of rock on the site, a rather minor matter. When it is received I can assure him the proposal will be processed immediately.
My information is that all relevant matters have been submitted.
Now the Deputy knows differently.
105.
asked the Minister for Local Government the present position regarding housing proposals for the towns of Kinsale, Bantry, Bandon, Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Castletownbere and Dunmanway, County Cork.
No proposals are before my Department at present for the provision of houses in Kinsale, Skibbereen, or Dunmanway. I am exploring, with the housing authority, the possibility of having a number of housing schemes comprising in all about 300 houses and including schemes at Bantry, Bandon, and Clonakilty, provided by local firms who have submitted proposals to me under the low cost project which is being developed by my Department. I approved the acceptance of a tender for a small scheme of flats at Bandon, and the raising of a loan to finance eight houses at Castletownbere recently.
Is the Minister aware that there is a grave shortage of housing in the towns mentioned in the question? Is he further aware that that shortage cannot be relieved unless and until the money is made available by the Department? Is he also aware that the claim by the housing authorities, whether urban or rural, is that it is impossible or almost impossible to get financial approval from the Department to go ahead with essential housing schemes in those districts?
The Department have made a very generous allocation to the Deputy's area for this year and for the past few years for housing. We are assisting them now by this low cost housing project and thus enabling them to construct more houses than they have been doing in the past.
I am not being critical of the Minister on a personal basis. I am critical of the Department so far as housing in West Cork is concerned. We are not getting our fair share. This is the opinion of the 12 West Cork members of the Cork County Council. Houses are sanctioned for other local authority areas that are not in such need as West Cork. Possibly we will get our fair share in the not too distant future when the Minister will move to the left of this House.
None of the statements made by the Deputy is based on fact.
They are all based on fact.