The National Building Agency Limited is a private company incorporated under the Companies Acts. It has a nominal capital of £100. The primary object in its establishment was to facilitate the provision of houses required in connection with industrial expansion where the need for such housing could not be met appropriately by local authorities or is not otherwise met by private enterprise. It was intended that the Agency should also participate in the provision of housing for State personnel, including Gardaí, whose duties involve a transfer to different parts of the country.
Since its establishment the Agency has been financing the construction of houses for industrial personnel by means of temporary advances obtained from the Industrial Credit Company. Money required for houses for the Garda Síochána is recouped from the Vote for Public Works and Buildings, the day to day needs being met by temporary bank overdraft accommodation.
When speaking in the Seanad on the 8th March, 1961 on the motion that the company be scheduled to the State Guarantees Act 1954, I said that when the extent of the operations of the Agency could be foreseen more clearly consideration would be given to making adequate long term arrangements for the financing of its operations. The operations of the Agency are now such that appropriate long term arrangements for financing them are warranted. The Bill now before the House provides for direct finance from the Exchequer.
The Bill follows the general lines of legislation relating to the financing of similar semi-State bodies. No new principle is introduced.
There is provision for the taking up of shares by the Minister for Finance within a limit of £100,000. This provision is not, however, intended to be the main source of finance. It will, however, give flexibility in the financing of the Agency if, for example, the Agency should find it appropriate to invest in or sponsor another company engaged in housing or ancillary activities.
Section 6 makes provision for repayable advances by the Minister for Finance to the Agency and will be the principal power to be availed of for the purposes of financing the industrial housing programme.
Section 7 provides for power for the guaranteeing by the Minister for Local Government with the consent of the Minister for Finance of borrowing by the Agency. It is hoped that this section will be availed of from time to time to provide funds from the Agency as an alternative to or in addition to Section 6.
There is an overall limit of £2 million in the amount provided by Sections 6 and 7. Fresh legislation to extend this limit will be necessary if this figure is not sufficient.
Senators will I am sure be interested in the progress of the Agency to date.
On the industrial side the Agency has undertaken to provide or assist in the provision of some 285 houses for industrial workers at various centres scattered throughout about 20 counties. The persons for whom houses are being provided include skilled technical and executive personnel whose services are essential for the establishment and development of the industries and for whom houses are not otherwise available locally. The total commitment involved to date is about £686,000. Of the 285 houses, 82 have been completed or substantially completed, while construction work is in progress or contracts have been allocated in respect of a further 66 houses.
The Agency is in a position to give a comprehensive service to industrialists anxious to provide housing accommodation for their workers. The comprehensive housing service entails a full technical and administrative service on the part of the Agency. Under this service, the Agency makes arrangements to select and purchase a suitable site, prepares site layout plans and specifications, designs the houses, invites tenders and recommends the appointment of a building contractor. During the course of the building contract the Agency's technical staff controls the building operations by supervising the work in progress. In addition, similar loan facilities are extended in respect of the project as obtain under the partial housing service. Recently the tendency has been for industrialists to avail of the full comprehensive service. The industrialists who have availed of this service include both established firms wishing to expand and new firms setting up in business. The service is found to be attractive to the industrialists as under it they are relieved of the major problems and difficulties involved in providing houses and are left free to concentrate on industrial development proper. The success of the Agency in this sphere suggests the possibility of its being able to assist in other housing operations in the future.
As regards Garda housing the Agency has on hands the provision of some 530 houses as part of the Garda Housing Programme. So far, sites are being or have been acquired for about 410 houses, tenders have been invited for the erection of 255 houses and contracts have been entered into for the erection of 219 of them. About 80 are completed or substantially completed. These houses are being provided in widely separated centres throughout the 26 Counties. In many centres only one or two houses are being provided.
In Templemore 23 houses are being provided on four different sites in connection with the new training depot.
I have recently had the opportunity of seeing some of the houses which are being built for the Gardaí. The schemes which I visited were widely dispersed and the works in progress were at the various stages of construction. I was very much impressed with the results achieved both from the point of view of economy and cost, and, what is equally important, high standards of construction and design. It was evident to me that the Agency had given much consideration to these important aspects.
I think that these remarks will give a general picture of the progress and activities of the Agency up to the present. I feel that Senators will agree that the new arrangements proposed in this Bill are justified.
