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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 8 Apr 1975

Vol. 279 No. 7

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Offaly House Repairs.

36.

asked the Minister for Local Government if the repairs carried out to a house in Tullamore, County Offaly (details supplied) by Tullamore UDC are considered to be satisfactory, in view of the fact that the owner is dissatisfied and states that the walls are very damp.

I am advised by my technical advisers that this dwelling is in good structural condition for the purposes of section 106 of the Housing Act, 1966.

Deputy Connolly, in his question, states that the walls are damp. Does the Minister consider that a house which has walls prone to dampness is in a satisfactory condition?

I am tied to the Act, and the Act says "good structural condition". This means, in general, a dwelling consisting of roof, walls, floors and so on which are secure. That is the 1966 Act. The appeal made was to the effect that two rooms were damp and that the stairs were full of woodworm. The inspector reported that the items complained about were minor and that the house was in "good structural condition". I am acting on the report of the inspector, as the law lays down that I should.

Is the Minister indicating that even though dampness is evident in the house and accepted as being there, that is a minor fault and that as long as the walls are standing upright the house is in a satisfactory condition and the Minister will not authorise repairs to be carried out to eliminate dampness or reduce it?

I am always amazed at the attitude of people who wrote this into the legislation. They wrote into the legislation that that should be done. Deputy Blaney and Deputy Molloy were involved in that. They now want me to do something which they laid down I could not do or that they could not do.

Had the Minister waited, it might have saved him replying and repeating himself which, of course, is against the orders of the House as we know. Where in regulations or the law of 1966 is there any compulsion on a Minister yesterday, today or tomorrow to declare as suitable and sound a house the walls of which are damp and continue to be damp? This is not in the law and never was intended to be there.

Included in it was the provision that the house had to be in "good structural condition".

And a damp wall is not "good structural condition".

On the floor of this House I argued with Deputy Blaney that it would not be possible to have a house in "good structural condition" as being a fit house. The situation now is that an inspector, as laid down by the regulations, has carried out an inspection.

It is the greatest cod.

Order, please. I am calling Question No. 37.

A final question——

I thought the Deputy had had a good innings on this question.

Is the Minister aware that local authority engineers inspecting houses prior to purchase by tenants have authorised the expenditure of money to deal with dampness?

According to the Minister, that is illegal.

Is the Minister stating now that they have no authority to deal with dampness in local authority houses?

All I am saying is that the inspector who reported on this house said it was in "good structural repair".

(Interruptions.)

The Minister is making an ass of himself today saying that dampness is not a matter which should be dealt with by engineers prior to purchase.

Is Deputy Molloy prepared to take responsibility for all the houses built during his term of office which are in bad structural repair, according to himself?

Questions No. 37.

I am quite satisfied to take responsibility for the statements I am making here——

This is Question Time and I have called the next question repeatedly. Question No. 37.

Local authority engineers, rightly, authorised the expenditure of money to deal with dampness in local authority houses prior to purchase. I am also stating that the Minister is quite wrong——

The Deputy may not make a statement at Question Time. He must know that.

——in the interpretation he is putting on the 1966 Housing Act and the regulations made thereunder. He does not know what he is talking about.

I know about Rahoon.

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