asked the Minister for the Environment if he will consider the possibility of setting up a course for organisers of housing co-ops to encourage the concept of same.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Housing Co-operatives.
21.
It would be appropriate that any courses of the kind referred to should be provided by the National Association of Building Co-operatives which is the co-ordinating body for housing co-operatives. My Department provide an annual grant towards the association's administration and general expenses. In addition, local authorities provide advice and assistance for the formation and development of housing co-operatives within their areas. In particular the authorities have been asked to assign, as far as possible, the responsibility for general liasion with co-operative groups to one officer.
Would the Minister agree that the potential for housing co-operatives is considerable and that they should be encouraged? Will he examined the whole question to see where incentives can be provided inorder to encourage them to greater extent?
I agree that they should be increasingly aided. This is happening. The National Association of Building Co-operatives have been grant-aided by the Department since 1979 when £6,000 was made available to them. Since then the amount of grant aid has increased substantially and this is a demonstration of our serious intent in regard to the co-operative movement. Grants over the past four years have increased as follows: 1980—£9,807; 1981 £10,000; 1982 — £13,000; 1983 — £19,000. The original allocation in 1983 was £15,000 and this was increased by an additional £4,000. The 1984 figure is £20,000. We are concerned to expand the operations of the co-operatives and we have demonstrated our interest by the amount of finance we have made available.