asked the Minister for Local Government if he will direct Dublin Corporation to introduce a scheme of financial assistance for those tenants in centrally heated houses in the Tolka Valley/Finglas South areas, Dublin who cannot meet substantial and excessive electricity and/or gas bills.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Corporation Tenants.
12.
I have no power to direct Dublin Corporation to introduce a scheme of financial assistance to subsidise fuel costs which are the responsibility of the occupier. However, I am having a general review of the position carried out in my Department in conjunction with the other Departments concerned and the local authority to seek what can be done to help in cases of hardship.
I appreciate the Minister's expression of concern for these people, and I would ask him whether or not he is aware that in the case of some tenants, especially those on welfare benefit, they are being asked to pay one-third of their total income in respect of heat and light? Surely the scheme must be introduced; otherwise they will have to vacate the houses.
I am aware of what Deputy Tunney says and I share with him his concern for these people. However, the facts are that the houses were erected without any other means of heating and cooking except by electricity, and unfortunately as of now there is no statutory authority which would allow me to do anything about it except to have inquiries started. I am hoping that it will be possible to help the really needy to whom Deputy Tunney refers to meet the exorbitant demands which it appears are being served on them. Deputy Tunney will forgive me if, even after the local elections, I point out that the big mistake was building so many of these houses without any other means of heating or cooking.
Does the Minister think coal and turf are cheap?
Is the Minister aware that the same type house is still being built?
A number of houses which started before the change of Government took place are being completed. In fact, I have changed quite a number of houses and insisted that a fireplace be put in each one of them. Incidentially, I discovered that so many of the houses were built without fireplaces that it would cost about £8 million to have the fireplaces put in at this stage. It was a ridiculous situation.
Perhaps the Minister is unaware, but would he accept from me that at this moment houses of this nature are being constructed, that is, a year and a half after the Minister took office?
A number of the schemes had reached a certain stage where it would not have been possible to stop them. Contracts were set and in many cases the schemes had been started; nothing would have given me greater pleasure than to have prevented them from being built if it could have been done without doing harm. For that reason I allowed them to go ahead, but I can assure Deputy Tunney there will be no more of them built.
It takes time to put right all the Fianna Fáil blunders.
Can the Minister assure us that the houses of this type for which he is responsible will contain at least one fireplace?
I can so assure the Deputy.
Would the Minister assure us he will come out to Tolka Valley and prevent the building of the houses which is taking place at the moment?
Unfortunately I cannot undo all that Fianna Fáil did.
The Minister said it was too late to do anything about some of these houses, that they were at the planning stage and so on. Could the Minister state roughly how many of these houses were at that stage when he could not do anything about this?
This is a separate question.
Would the figure be around 25,000?
No, indeed it would not. There were around 360 here in the city which I have been able to have changed. There were about another 700 or 800 at the planning stage— Deputy Tunney is referring to some of them—and I agree with him it was wrong that this should have happened, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Could I ask the Minister was it 25,000 about which he could do nothing?
When I took over there was not enough money allocated to build 17,000 houses. I built 25,365 houses and paid for them, so that is the answer.