asked the Minister for the Environment his views on the relatively small number of local authority housing estates throughout the country which were built approximately 15 years ago, without the provision of a solid fuel range; if he accepts the fact that such tenants have very high cooking and heating costs due to the use of electricity and gas; and if he will extend the house improvement grant scheme to local authorities so as to provide ranges for tenants in such houses.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Authority Housing Solid Fuel Ranges.
21.
Solid fuel cookers are not a standard provision in local authority houses. The normal provision for heating is an open fire place with an ordinary back boiler, and kitchens may be fitted with cooker points for electric or gas cookers to be supplied by tenants. I am satisfied that these standards are adequate and reasonable and do not cause undue hardship to local authority tenants.
Mr. Fahey
Is the Minister aware that in County Galway 201 local authority houses built in the last 25 years do not have solid fuel ranges? Will he agree that those tenants are being treated unfairly in that their cooking and heating costs are very significant because they have to use oil or gas? Will the Minister consider my request to include those houses in the house improvement grant scheme or, alternatively, reconsider his refusal to sanction approval to Galway County Council to raise a loan to finance the installation of ranges in those houses?
The houses in question were provided with open fireplaces with back boilers and the addition of immersion heaters and electric cooker points instead of ranges. It seems as if the other houses in Galway had some special local demands attached to them that have brought about the local policy in Galway of installing ranges. The houses referred to by the Deputy have the same facilities as are provided in local authority houses in most other parts of the country.
For the majority of tenants, who are young married couples, an open fire with a back boiler is not very economic and I should like to know if the Minister will reconsider his decision and make the necessary funds available — a small sum of money is all that is required — to ensure that adequate domestic facilities are available in local authority houses in Galway and throughout the country?
I was afraid that request would be made. The question could easily widen to a question that local authority houses throughout the country should have the benefit of having solid fuel ranges installed in them as is done, apparently, in the majority of houses in Galway.
Will the Minister agree that it is desirable that all houses in Galway built in the last ten years should have solid fuel ranges? If such a facility was provided heating and cooking costs in those houses would be a lot less expensive and, from the point of view of saving energy, solid fuel should be used. It is news to me that local authorities throughout the country do not install such ranges in their houses. Will the Minister consider the second request by Galway County Council to raise a special loan to finance the installation of ranges in those houses?
I am not aware of a recent request. The matter was put forward by the council in 1982 and was rejected.
Will the Minister look at the application sympathetically?
It is my view that the tenants in the houses in question have been provided with facilities that are standard in most other local authorities.
Most local authority houses have ranges.