Vol. 309 No. 8
asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware of public concern about the condition of the flats at Fassaroe, Bray, County Wicklow; and the steps he proposes to take to alleviate such concern by way of making extra grants available to householders or where necessary the building of additional accommodation.
429.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he has received a request from the Bray UDC to receive a deputation to discuss the condition of the Fassaroe Park flats; and if he will accede to such a request.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 428 and 429 together.
I am not aware that there is public concern about the condition of the flats at Fassaroe Park, Bray. Bray Urban District Council requested me to make capital money available to them to enable them to finance certain work to the flats considered necessary by their consultant architect to alleviate problems of dampness and condensation caused mainly by insufficient ventilation and the improper use by the tenants of the heating system.
In reply to the council's request, I emphasised that the provision of new local authority dwellings for families who are urgently awaiting rehousing must of necessity take priority, that the limited resources of capital moneys available to me must be conserved for this purpose and that, consequently, it is not at present possible to allocate capital to any local authority to finance work on existing dwellings however desirable such work might be to improve the standard and living conditions of the dwellings. I have, however, suggested to the council that they examine the possibility of carrying out the work to the flats on a phased basis from the revenue available to them for repair and maintenance in conjunction with encouraging the tenants to have fireplaces or solid fuel burners installed with the aid of the grants and loans available for this purpose.
I received a request from the urban council to receive a deputation to discuss the condition of the flats but I have already informed them that, in the circumstances outlined above, no useful purpose would be served by the reception of a deputation to discuss the matter at this stage.
