I am grateful for the opportunity of raising this most important matter tonight, especially as I was deeply disappointed that I was denied the opportunity of ventilating this and many other issues in the debate for the Estimate for the Environment last Friday owing to the strange procedure and the absurd time limit employed on that occasion. I express the ardent hope that what happened then will never happen again because I think it posed a very serious threat to the rights of elected Members to speak on fundamental issues affecting the lives of their constituents on important Estimates.
I am dealing tonight with a question which appeared on the Order Paper on Tuesday, 6 May 1980, addressed to the Minister for the Environment as follows:
To ask the Minister for the Environment if he will outline the programme for new house building submitted to his Department from each of the following local authorities: (i) Clonmel Borough Council, (ii) Carrick-on-Suir UDC, (iii) Tipperary UDC, (iv) Cashel UDC, (v) Waterford County Council,
—an area for which I expect to have some responsibility and one to which I look forward after the next general election—
(vi) Tipperary S.R. County Council; the date of submission and the number of houses in respect of each scheme, the cost per scheme, when sanction will issue in each case and the reason for the delay in providing the necessary money.
The Minister's reply was as follows:
On 15 February 1980, all housing authorities were asked to furnish particulars of their capital requirements in 1980 for (a) housing schemes—not already included in existing commitments—which have been advertised for tender or which will be so advertised by 30 April 1980; (b) rural cottages—not already included in existing commitments—on which it is proposed to start work by 31 July 1980, and (c) demountable dwellings—not already included in existing commitments—for which it is proposed to give firm orders by 31 July 1980.
In reply the authorities mentioned in the Deputy's question furnished the following details and their estimates of expenditure in 1980.
|
Scheme |
No. of houses |
Estimated all-in-cost |
Estimated expenditure during 1980 |
Date of submission |
|
Clonmel Borough Council |
£ |
£ |
||
|
Elm Park |
12 |
150,000 |
100,000 |
|
|
Bianconi Drive |
8 |
135,000 |
100,000 |
|
|
Wilderness |
76 |
1,600,000 |
325,000 |
5/3/1980 |
|
Gladstone St. Upper |
2 |
30,000 |
25,000 |
|
|
Wilderness private sites |
15 |
60,000 |
60,000 |
|
|
Tipperary Urban District Council |
||||
|
Glenview Square |
31 |
583,180 |
400,000 |
|
|
O'Connell Road |
6 |
94,000 |
94,000 |
19/2/1980 |
|
Knockanrawley (Extn.) |
5 |
80,000 |
80,000 |
|
|
Cashel Urban District Council |
||||
|
Ashwells Lot |
52 |
1,100,000 |
450,000 |
15/1/1980 |
|
Carrick-on-Suir Urban District Council |
||||
|
No application |
26/2/1980 |
|||
|
Tipperary S R County Council |
||||
|
Kilross |
4 |
72,000 |
10,000 |
|
|
Faugheen |
8 |
128,000 |
84,600 |
|
|
Dundrum |
6 |
86,800 |
63,800 |
|
|
Cahir |
18 |
320,000 |
75,000 |
|
|
Mullinahone |
6 |
108,000 |
50,000 |
27/2/1980 |
|
Kilsheelan |
8 |
144,000 |
60,000 |
|
|
The Commons |
4 |
70,000 |
54,000 |
|
|
Kilcash |
6 |
112,000 |
30,000 |
|
|
Rural cottages |
6 |
60,000 |
25,000 |
|
|
Waterford County Council |
||||
|
Dunmore East |
9 |
120,000 |
80,000 |
|
|
Bawnfune |
2 |
22,000 |
11,000 |
|
|
Dunhill |
2 |
22,000 |
11,000 |
|
|
Leamybrien |
4 |
45,000 |
22,500 |
|
|
Lismore |
4 |
50,000 |
25,000 |
|
|
Stradbally |
2 |
22,000 |
11,000 |
21/2/1980 |
|
Tallow |
4 |
50,000 |
25,000 |
|
|
Cheekpoint |
4 |
45,000 |
25,000 |
|
|
Rural cottages |
8 |
80,000 |
46,000 |
|
|
Demountables |
4 |
16,000 |
16,000 |
The Minister's final statement is relevant:
These applications are being considered in conjunction with similar applications received from other housing authorities and I will make my decision on them as soon as possible.
The purpose of raising this matter tonight is to bring to the notice of the Minister the fact that these houses are urgently required and that the local authorities are anxiously awaiting sanction to embark upon their erection immediately. The early commencement of these schemes is vital to hundreds, if not thousands, of families who are at present living in appalling housing circumstances, in overcrowded and insanitary conditions, in dingy flats and hovels in an environment which is a threat to their health and happiness. I am appealing to the Minister to ensure that the necessary moneys are made available without any further delay. Surely he will not condemn these people to a further long purgatory of waiting. To do so would be an act of utter irresponsibility and callousness. The delay is unprecedented and can have tragic consequences.
The homeless in my constituency are anxiously waiting for the Minister's answer tonight. What is it going to be? Is it yes or no? We want to know when this money will be provided, how much is being provided and when. There should be no ambiguity. This is a matter of fundamental importance not merely to the homeless for whom I speak tonight but also to the building industry in my constituency. It affects the future of that industry and, in large measure, jobs. If these schemes are abandoned, what is to become of the building industry and the workers who depend on that industry for their livelihood? Such a move will dislocate the building industry. Many smaller firms may not recover from this recession and serious unemployment will result.
There are millions of pounds worth of work involved in these housing schemes and to withhold the money would be an act of social and economic irresponsibility and cause chaos in our local authorities. The Minister will never be forgiven if he embarks on this retrograde step of withholding the money this year.
One of the great features of house building in my constituency was the expansion of the co-operative scheme. Many people housed under this scheme either resided in council houses or were on the local authority approved waiting list. Having come together on a co-operative basis they were able to build their own homes.
In south Tipperary co-operative groups have successful house building schemes in the following areas—Clonmel, Cahir, Fethard, Tipperary and Carrick-on-Suir. For all these schemes the local authority provided the sites on a 30-35 year repayment scheme. This allowed the couples concerned the full use of the SDA loans and the Department grant to build houses. In the last increase in the SDA and low rise mortgage loans the Minister in his circular made it quite clear that the maximum loan available in future by way of finance from local authorities, including the cost of the site, is £12,000. This effectively will make home ownership for all incomes up to £5,500 impossible.
This means in effect that if the council were to develop sites and dispose of them at say £4,000 repayable over 30 years, the maximum loan which could be advanced for the building of a house would be £8,000. This will affect the council's programme of co-operative building at Ballingarrane and Fethard. The only way the applicant will be allocated his £12,000 loan for the erection of a house would be that he pay cash down for the site. I do not believe the Minister realised the serious implications of precluding local authorities from making these special site loans available.
