asked the Minister for Local Government the number of houses completed from 1st April, 1973, to 30th September, 1973.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Housing Statistics.
26.
In the period 1st April to 30th June 4,704 new dwellings were completed. Final figures are not yet available for the period July-September, 1973.
Do I take it that the pattern for getting information for the quarterly housing returns for the two quarters embodied in the period mentioned here is to ask a parliamentary question? Are quarterly reports being suppressed or withheld? Why have Deputies not, as before, been given these quarterly reports? Why have we, as an Opposition, to put down a parliamentary question in order to get the information which down the years was contained in those quarterly reports?
As the Deputy is aware, there has been no change in the system of supplying information from the Department of Local Government from the time I took office to what was the position beforehand. The Deputy can be assured that any documentation which is due will be published.
That is not so. There has been a change.
No change has taken place.
If Deputies in this House have stated that the procedure is contrary to previous practice, then a change must have taken place. As yet, we have not got the reports for the quarters referred to in this question. Is this to be the future practice? If it is, we will all put down parliamentary questions.
No. The Deputy may put down as many parliamentary questions as he wishes but he can be assured that there has been no change in this particular matter. As soon as the reports are available they are supplied.
Will the Minister send these reports to me?
As soon as they are available.
What has happened that they are not available to us now?
Put down a question and I will tell the Deputy.
I should like to ask the Minister when the report for the quarter April to June, 1973 was published?
I regret I cannot give the Deputy that information but I will let him have it. I will check this in my Department and I will let the Deputy know in the next few days.
Can the Minister say if, in fact, the report for the quarter April to June, 1973 has been published at all?
Deputy O'Malley has said that it has not.
I am asking the Minister if the report has been published
I do not know.
Would the Minister further agree that under the Fianna Fáil administration these quarterly reports were published in the month following the end of the quarter?
If Deputies wish to ask questions relating to these quarterly reports, they should put them on the Order Paper.
I can tell the Deputy of a lot of things that were not published under the Fianna Fáil regime.
This is suppression of figures which are embarrassing to the Government.
Can the Minister state what increase this represents?
I have given the information requested. As the Deputy well knows, he has been given the information asked for.
The Minister should be more anxious to help Deputies who are interested in housing matters. Surely he can state the increase in that period?
I am calling Question No. 27. The Chair will not permit a debate on this matter.
I have told Deputy Molloy that I have a reply which he got written out for him on numerous occasions. I have not the supplementary information he now requests. If he wanted that information he should have asked for it.
It is amazing the Minister has not got the information.
Is it possible it did not achieve the Fianna Fáil figure?
It would not be difficult to do that.
The Minister should be honest about his failure and not try to bluster it out in the House.
When I hear Deputy O'Malley talking about honesty it makes me wonder what we are coming to in this House.
Is this why the Minister has suppressed the figures?
No figures have been suppressed.
Is it not true that those figures——
I would ask Deputy Molloy to resume his seat.
I am talking about the period 1st April to 30th June immediately after we took office——
(Interruptions.)
I am calling Question No. 27.