asked the Minister for the Environment the specific steps which will be taken to promote joint venture housing projects.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Joint Venture Housing.
9.
A circular letter about joint venture housing will be issued to local authorities as soon as a review of certain aspects of this type of housing has been completed. I should add that all housing authorities were asked by my Department in February 1982 to encourage owner occupation through joint venture arrangements involving the provision of building land, under licence, for the construction of modestly priced houses for sale to selected purchasers. Up to 31 March 1984, 17 housing authorities were participating in joint venture schemes resulting in the sale of 355 houses by seven authorities. At that date a further 1,367 joint venture houses were at the planning stage among 14 of the 17 authorities. Many participants in the schemes are availing themselves of Housing Finance Agency loans and the combination of such loans and of the new £5,000 grant for local authority tenants and tenant purchasers buying a private house and giving up local authority dwellings should give a boost to the demand for joint venture and other modestly priced new houses.
Will the circular contain proposals whereby local authorities will be able to make land in their possession available at a nominal cost as I understand that this has been proving a major obstacle to local authorities participating in the joint venture programmes to date?
I do not know what the Deputy means by a nominal cost but I am sure he is aware that local authorities have to pay the going rate for land which they also have to service in many cases. To suggest that land should be given at a nominal cost is something that I should have to consider very seriously before I could agree to it.