asked the Minister for the Environment if he will give details of each proposal for remedial and improvement works to council houses at present under consideration in his Department; and if he will state, in each case, (a) the local authority concerned; (b) the number of houses; (c) the date they were built; (d) the reason for the works proposed; (e) if his Department will contribute to the cost; and (f) when he will make known his decision.
Written Answers. - Local Authority Houses.
221.
There are several hundred applications for housing grants for improvement works to council houses at present in various stages of consideration in my Department. The identification of these cases and the collating of the information would make inordinate demands on the staffing resources of the Department. Furthermore, some of the details sought are not available in my Department due to the fact that such information is not supplied by local authorities when making application for improvement grants. In the circumstances, it is not practicable to furnish the information requested by the Deputy.
Most of the applications for improvement grants presently under consideration are related to the provision of extra rooms, bathrooms, water and sewerage facilities and so on and, provided that the conditions for the payment of such grants have been complied with, they will qualify for grants ranging from £200 to £600 for each dwelling. In some cases grants have already been allocated but not yet claimed. If the Deputy wishes to have details of any specific proposal for such improvement works, I will arrange to let him have the required information.
Only one proposal for remedial works to council houses is presently before my Department for consideration. This proposal, submitted by Drogheda Corporation, is in respect of 216 houses at St. Finian's Park, Drogheda, which were built in the period from August 1969 to October 1972. The present position in relation to this proposal was outlined in my reply of 2 May (Question No. 278) to the Deputy's recent question on the matter.