asked the Minister for Local Government if, in view of the fact that there was a backlog in the development of local authority housing in County Kerry last year due to lack of financial resources, he will increase the allocation to Kerry County Council for such development next year.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Kerry Housing.
29.
In the nine-month financial period of 1974, Kerry County Council's authorised expenditure on the local authority housing programme was £715,000 or equivalent to £953,700 for a 12-month period, as compared to £585,117 in 1973-74 and £448,695 in 1972-73. The total expenditure authorised last August for 1975 was £1,232,000.
The council have since sought authority to spend additional moneys and following examination of their request, I have agreed that they may spend an additional £140,000 to meet unavoidable commitments.
The amount of money which will be allocated to the council in 1976 will be decided in the light of the total amount of capital resources which are made available for the local authority housing programme for that year, and the claims on that amount which are received from all housing authorities, including Kerry County Council.
Is the Minister aware that members of his party on Kerry County Council stated there was unlimited money available for house building? We projected a large number of houses with the result that the county council had to borrow £400,000 to meet some of the commitments involved. They are not able to pay contractors over and above that figure, and for this reason I should like the Minister to give something to relieve the position.
I am not aware of that. I would not blame the Fianna Fáil or the Fine Gael councillors for thinking that there is unlimited money available in view of the fact that the total expenditure for 1975 authorised was £1,232,000, with £140,000 on top of that, as against £585,000 a couple of years ago. That is more than twice as much, and in view of that I would not blame them for thinking there was unlimited money available. Kerry County Council knew what they had asked for; they knew the amount they would receive and they produced pretty firm estimates. We have met them very well as my figures show. I am sorry, but there is no more money available for 1975. I am not aware that contractors have not been paid; my information is that all contractors due money who have been requesting money have been paid because of the final £140,000.
Would the Minister accept my word when I say that I know of contractors who have not been paid and have been told they cannot be paid until next year? I know of a contractor on one housing scheme who was asked to ease down because the money was not available. While the amount of money is more than double what it was the number of houses projected is less than in the periods referred to.
It is possible that the Deputy knows the local scene better than I, but I should like to point out to him that, in fairness to his own officials, it was agreed that a maximum of £140,000 would do what they wanted. The matter was discussed with them as recently as 6th November. It is unfair—Deputy O'Connor is not usually an unfair man—to give the impression to the House that the officials, who will be looking for contractors next year to do work, are not meeting their commitments for one reason or another when we have been assured by them that they are. I would hate to shake confidence in people who are building houses. As Deputy O'Connor is aware there are contractors who, for one reason or another, build housing schemes in one year and ask that the money not be made available until the next year or suggest that they will continue with a scheme but will not ask for the money until the next year. It would be as well if we left it at that because there might be a slur cast on contractors and on the council, and that slur should not be cast.
I assure the Minister that what I said is correct. I am in the building business and I know the position. I would not want to be taken as being unfair about anything, but our officials gave me different information to what the Minister said.
I have given the facts to the Deputy and he can be assured that Kerry County Council have been more than favourably dealt with.