asked the Minister for Defence the progress, if any, made to date on the scheme proposed in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 16 of 26 October 1977 to rehouse former members of the Defence Forces living in Army houses, in view of the fact that the number of such people has more than doubled in the intervening period; if the Minister for Finance has made any money available as promised; and if he will take urgent steps to resolve this problem.
Ceisteanna — Questions Oral Answers - Re-housing of Ex-Defence Force Members.
20.
The provision of houses for former members of the Permanent Defence Force who are overholding married quarters is a matter for the local authorities concerned. Any resources made available to my Department for the building of houses must be devoted to building new married quarters for serving soldiers. As I informed the Deputy on 28 January 1981, I propose to approach the Minister for the Environment with a view to having more accommodation made available for overholders.
Is the Minister aware that in 1979 Deputy Lalor stated that he was having a discussion with the then Minister for Finance regarding a specific allocation to provide houses for overholders at that time? If the Minister reads his file he will find that when there were 20 overholders on the Curragh the then Minister said it was a serious matter. Now there are 63 overholders. Will the Minister inform the House of the result of the discussions between his predecessor and the Minister for Finance? Will he state if the Minister refused to supply the specific sum mentioned in that reply?
I do not know if the Deputy is aware that Deputy Lalor, then Minister of State, was answering on behalf of the Minister. He inadvertently referred to discussions with the Minister for Finance instead of the Minister for the Environment. That was an error. There were no discussions.
That is a flimsy excuse.
It is a fact.
What was the result of his discussion with the Minister for the Environment? Is the Minister saying now, two years later, that he will have further discussions when the problem has got 100 per cent worse? On that occasion there were 27 overholders but now there are 63.
The problem has got much worse. Overholding is a very serious problem. Overholders deprive married personnel of the houses that are available. With regard to the first part of the Deputy's question, the then Minister for Defence discussed the matter with the then Minister for the Environment.
What was the result?
Will not the Minister accept that probably there is no over-holder who is in married quarters of his own volition? The only reason they are there is because the housing authority are unwilling to accept them.
Unable to accept them.
Yes, they are unable to accept them because of the lack of Government finance to deal with the housing programme. With respect to the Minister, I think on reflection he may wish to withdraw what seems to be a criticism of soldiers——
Will the Deputy please put a question, not make a speech?
Soldiers have resigned from the Army in order to obtain a house. They would have been glad to remain in the Army if the Government had built houses of a reasonable standard for them.
As the Deputy knows, many serving personnel get houses from local authorities. It is not necessary to resign from the Army in order to be considered for housing by a local authority.
I should like to ask the Minister——
(Interruptions.)
I am calling Question No. 21.
Will the Minister request the Minister for the Environment to provide a specific sum to local authorities in order to provide houses for overholders?
I have called the next question.