asked the Minister for the Environment if he will give urgent consideration to the provision of a scheme whereby intending house builders would have sites made available to them more simply and cheaply.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - House Building Site Scheme.
8.
Under existing arrangements local authorities may make building sites available either to individuals to provide houses for themselves or to builders to provide houses on behalf of individuals.
To encourage the provision and disposal of sites my Department pay a subsidy of one-third of the loan charges incurred by local authorities in providing the sites, up to a specified capital cost limit per site. I increased this limit last year from £900 to £1,500. The subsidised sites are provided for certain categories of persons who fulfil conditions, generally related to their eligibility for local authority house purchase loans, to enable them to provide houses for themselves.
I might add that, in August 1978, I requested local authorities to consider the development of part of their land reserves with a view to making additional sites available for private housing as an incentive to persons qualifying under the scheme to provide their own houses. I am reviewing the effectiveness of the measures being taken in this regard.
Will the Minister consider dredging up from the subconscious or wherever it rests the famous Kenny Report? That might have the effect of not so much seeking to continue to drain massive resources from the Department but getting to the root of the problem, the soaring cost of building land. What is the position in relation to that report?
The Deputy may not have to wait very long for an outcome of the examination of that report together with other factors governing sites and land prices. It is too soon to say when that will come about but I can assure the Deputy that I have been very active in pushing that examination and trying to bring it to a head.
Is it reasonable to deduce from the Minister's remark that we may soon see proposals which will effectively bring about the curbing of the inflated land prices that exist at present?
That is the purpose of the whole exercise.
Will the Minister bring in proposals which will help to alleviate this problem?
Hopefully, that will be the eventual outcome. The proposals will be issued as soon as the examination is complete.
Are the heads of a Bill being prepared in relation to this matter?
Not at this stage.