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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 3 May 1973

Vol. 265 No. 4

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Housing Programme.

7.

asked the Minister for Local Government if the Government intend to prepare a White Paper on national housing needs on the basis of a comprehensive up-to-date survey in each local authority area.

I intend to ask local authorities to make preliminary arrangements for the assessment of the housing needs of their areas, so as to be ready to make more comprehensive and complete assessments when the housing figures of the 1971 census of population, and the results of the sample survey of the housing stock now being carried out by An Foras Forbartha at my request are available.

May I thank the Minister for his action in this matter?

The Deputy may, by all means.

Thank you, Deputy.

8.

asked the Minister for Local Government if he has set a target for house building for the present financial year; and if so, the number of dwellings to be provided.

9.

asked the Minister for Local Government when the Government intend to start their crash programme on housing.

With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 9 together.

The Government's immediate aim is to increase the output of new houses to not less than 25,000 a year. Emergency measures are being taken to raise output to this level.

Can the Minister give us any indication as to the measures which he mentioned in his reply?

That is not the question I was asked and, if the Deputy will wait for a few weeks, he will see the result of the efforts.

There are no measures obviously.

Arising out of the reply to Question No. 8, can the Minister give us any figures for the Greater Dublin area?

Deputy Moore must be aware that what he is asking is not possible at this stage, but I propose to give him the information which he now asks for very shortly.

Is the Minister aware that there has been quite a substantial amount of unemployment in the building trade in the past week or two——

For the past 16 years.

——and that the building workers are very concerned about the prospects for the future because of the problems arising with building societies and other agencies?

I am not so aware.

The Minister is aware now.

I am not so aware.

I am informing the Minister.

Will the Minister clarify whether it is his intention to increase the output of new housing to a figure in excess of 25,000 new houses in the present financial year?

I am sure the Deputy is aware that it would hardly be possible to increase it to over 25,000 in the present year because the planning was not done last year. I propose to raise it as far as I possibly can this year.

So now you are reneging on the promise you made to the electorate that you would build 25,000 in the first year of office.

I am afraid the Deputy is misquoting. We said we hoped to raise it to 25,000. We propose to do that. The only reason why we may not be able to do it is because of the lack of planning under the previous Minister's regime.

I would like to point out to the Minister that there is concern in the building industry over the action of this Coalition Government——

The Deputy must ask a question. He may not make a statement.

——who are trying to get investment away from housing. We will be faced with a very serious crisis if this new Government do not do something about it.

The Deputy may not make a statement of this kind. I am calling Question No. 10.

May I be permitted to say that the reduction in the withdrawals from existing investments was greatest in the last quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year? I am sure the Deputy will be glad to know that the position has improved considerably in the last few weeks.

I am sure the Minister is aware that there was no shortage while we were in office but may I refer him to Question No. 8 and his reply to it? He was asked if he has set a target from house building for the present financial year. As I understood his reply he referred to a figure of 25,000 houses but when questioned by Deputy Molloy he said it could not be done in this year.

Is the Deputy asking a question?

Would the Minister clarify that reply?

I am sorry the former Minister does not appear to have heard quite correctly. This might have been all right when the ex-Minister was answering but I am answering my questions and I give a straight answer to a straight question. The situation is that we propose to build 25,000 houses this year but may not be able to do it because of the fact that planning for 25,000 houses was not in progress during the course of the last Government's term of office.

We are getting the alibis already.

The subject matter of these questions has been fully gone into.

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