asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of a report issued by the United Nations Economic Commission to the effect that Ireland is among those countries which have the least number of houses per 1,000 inhabitants; and if he will indicate his Department's policy with regard to the provision of sufficient housing, subsequent to this country's proposed entry into the EEC.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - UN Housing Report.
61.
I have seen the report referred to by the Deputy.
The Deputy will appreciate that, because our average family size is larger than in any other European countries, we need fewer dwellings per 1,000 inhabitants. The dwellings that we build are, however, among the biggest in Europe and, as I indicated in my reply to the debate on the Estimate for my Department on the 27th October, the number of rooms which we had in 1966 for each 1,000 persons averaged 1,118 compared with figures ranging between 435 and 699 for eastern European countries.
International comparisons in housing are futile unless they are set against the background of the economic, social and demographic circumstances peculiar to each country. In so far as we are concerned, relevant factors, apart from the average family size, are that about one-third of our population is married compared with up to half in other countries; that our annual marriage rate while increasing, is still low internationally; that our rate of population increase is slow; and that our dependency ratio is high. Apart from these factors, we have not had the high rate of non-family household formation or the high level of activity in the building of holiday homes experienced in other countries.
As regards the second part of the question, I would refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 31 today.
Is it not a fact that for the past decade as regards housing units per 1,000 persons we have the lowest number of any country in the OECD, with the exception of Turkey and Portugal?
Such international comparisons as the Deputy is making are dishonest. They do not convey a true picture of the situation.
I have only given the figures published in the report.
They do not mean a thing.
They mean something but the Minister does not like to hear about them.