asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health whether it is the practice of his Department to require that all decisions of boards of health allocating cottages to individual applicants will be submitted to him for sanction before being made operative; if in determining whether or not sanction be given to any proposals submitted to him he has regard to the fact that certain applicants have large families, while others are unmarried; and, if so, whether it is the policy that preference be given to meritorious applicants with large families, and if he will indicate the steps usually taken by his Department to ensure that effect is given to this policy.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Allocation of Labourers' Cottages.
As regards the first part of the question, boards of health are not required to submit for the Minister's sanction the names of persons to whom new labourers' cottages are proposed to be let. On the letting of labourers' cottages for which subsidy is being paid under the Housing Act, 1932, local authorities must under Section 6 (5) of that Act give preference, where practicable, to certain families living in one-roomed dwellings. As to the second part of the question, the position is as I have indicated and no sanction of the Minister is required.