asked the Minister for Local Government the percentage increase in the average gross price of new houses which are the subject of loans from all lending agencies for the period from May, 1973 to March, 1975.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - House Prices.
15.
Statistics of new house prices are complied on a quarterly basis and published in the Department's Quarterly Bulletin of Housing Statistics.
Preliminary figures for the quarter ended 31st March, 1975, indicate that the average gross price of new houses in all areas for which loans were approved by the three principal lending agencies in the quarter ended 31st March, 1975, may show an increase of 37 per cent over the corresponding figure for the quarter ended 30th June, 1973.
In view of the fact that the increase is 37 per cent since the last increase granted for loans and grants and in the qualifying income limits, does the Minister still hold there is no need to increase loans and grants?
All I can say is that there are more applicants for loans and grants than there is money available even with the very large increase in the amount of money available being taken into account. That is the only answer I can give the Deputy. I would love to be in a position to give very much more to those who want to borrow money for house building. Whether or not they would be in a position to pay it back is another question. In any case, people are availing of them at the existing income limit and amounts. In view of that, I do not see any immediate prospect of increasing the amount.
Question No. 16.
Would the Minister not agree that an applicant in May, 1973, with an income of £2,350 was in a very different position to an applicant today earning that amount? Would he not feel that many of those people who would have been entitled to housing grants and loans in May, 1973 are no longer eligible because they have gone above the qualifying income limit although their circumstances have not changed?
Deputy Faulkner is forgetting the fact that just about that time I increased the income limit and the amount of loans very substantially. They had not been increased for a number of years before that. Therefore, portion of the 37 per cent is taken into account. I do agree with Deputy Faulkner that people would avail of this money if a larger amount was made available but, as the Deputy knows, there is a limited amount of money which can be made available for this and that sum is more than taken up by the applicants who qualify under the existing limit. Therefore, there is not any point in the hypothetical question as to what would happen if the amount were increased.
Is the Minister aware that the number of unemployed in the building industry in mid-February this year was 19,000 as compared with 13,000 in mid-February, 1974?
The Deputy is getting very wide of the subject matter of this question.
Would the Minister not agree that it is essential in this industry that more money be made available?
I am aware of the fact that the Government have made available very much more money than ever before. As Deputy MacSharry rightly said, over 26,000 houses were completed up to 31st March last, in the twelve-months' period. In view of the fact that the best that Fianna Fáil could do—according to their own figures—was 21,500 and, according to the previous average for the five years, 14,600, I think Deputy Faulkner is going a little far with it.
Arising further out of the Minister's reply——
This must be the final supplementary.
Since he has referred to previous figures, would the Minister agree that the increase in the number of houses built in the final year of Fianna Fáil administration was 6,500 over the increase in the previous year?
What figure?
From 15,000 to over 21,500, that his increase from 21,500 to 25,000 was much lower and the figure has remained almost static since then?
We cannot debate this matter today.
Therefore, there is no particular achievement involved at all.
The average for the five years before Fianna Fáil left office was 14,600, and they cannot get away from that. That is tied around their necks and they cannot get away from it.
The Minister——
Deputy Faulkner, please.
The Minister is trying to do something that is not possible. He is trying to compare averages with individual figures.
The Deputy is making a statement which is not in order at Question Time.
It is in order to correct a misleading statement.
Question No. 16.
(Interruptions.)
Might I finally ask the Minister if he proposes in the near future to have the Government make more money available for housing in view of the very heavy unemployment situation? No increase has been given for loans or grants or in the qualifying income limits since 1973 although costs have increased quite considerably.
The answer is that three times as much money is being made available as there was in the last year Fianna Fáil were in office.