I move:—
That a sum not exceeding £3,128,910 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1955, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Local Government, including grants to local authorities, grants and other expenses in connection with housing and miscellaneous grants.
The net amount provided for 1954-55 in the Vote for Local Government as published is £4,925,590. This represents a net increase of £334,300 over the amount provided in the Department's Vote for 1953-54, and in the Vote of that year for increases in remuneration so far as the Department of Local Government was concerned. In his Budget Speech, however, the former Minister for Finance intimated that the provision of £400,000 in sub-head Q would be transferred from the Estimates to the National Development Fund and, taking this into account, the net Estimate for the Department this year shows a saving of £65,700 as compared with the net figure for the previous year. Increases in individual items are mainly referable to the automatic growth of the statutory subsidies of local authorities' loan charges, offset to some extent by a reduction in the Transition Development Fund grants to local authorities for housing schemes and sanitary services works, this fund being still in course of liquidation.
In the circumstances in which this Estimate was prepared, and in the circumstances in which it is now being presented, I propose not to extend my speech beyond a factual review of the main services for which the Estimate provides.
By far the greatest item is the provision of £2,000,000 under sub-head I (3) in respect of grants to private persons, public utility societies and other authorities for the erection or reconstruction of houses for occupation by private persons. This amount is the same as that provided for the same services in the preceding year, and, to judge by the general trend of monthly payments in course of disbursement in the months since the beginning of the present financial year, it will be fully expended.
In the last financial year, 5,643 dwellings were completed by local authorities as against 7,476 in 1952-53; 7,195 in 1951-52; and 7,787 in 1950-51. The figures for dwellings in progress on 1st April, 1954, 1953, 1952 and 1951 are 6,416, 6,005, 9,526 and 10,222 respectively. The dwellings in course of construction in Dublin City together with those for which tenders were being invited on the 1st April, 1954, were 2,984 as against 3,173 in the preceding year.
I propose, with the assistance of my Parliamentary Secretary, to take every possible step to encourage the planning and construction of working class houses by the Dublin Corporation and also in Cork City where the housing programme is equally urgent. Apart from the special magnitude of these two city programmes and the need for removing as soon as possible any obstacles in the way of their speedy execution, I recognise that some of the decline in local authority housing output in other parts of the country is due to the completion of their housing programmes by some of the urban authorities and the approaching completion of the programmes in various county areas. There are, however, some areas where the needs are still far from being met and where, I am informed, there does not appear to be a sufficient realisation of the necessity for a more efficient and progressive tackling of the problem. A few counties are, I gather, in a rather unenviable limelight in this respect. We propose to give these areas special attention and, in doing so, we bespeak the co-operation of the local public representatives and of all others concerned.
Taking the over-all picture of housing output by both local authorities and private persons, the total number of new dwellings erected in 1953-54 were 10,750; in 1952-53, 13,291; in 1951-52, 12,416, and in 1950-51, 12,118.
One provision in the Housing (Amendment) Act, 1952, which was very welcome to me was that enabling a new type of grant to be made for the provision and installation of private water supply and sewerage facilities in dwelling houses. I understand that the number of grants allocated for the purpose over the past year has averaged about 44 per month. So far as I can stimulate activity under this head, I shall be very glad to do so. I propose to issue a special instruction to my housing inspectors that when they are consulted by persons in rural areas about to build or reconstruct houses, they should if at all possible make provision for the installation of sanitation which would qualify for these extra grants.
My predecessor allocated the bulk of the Road Fund income likely to be available in the present financial year in the same way as he had allocated it in the previous financial year, namely, £1,400,000 as a main road improvement grant; £1,700,000 as a county road improvement grant, £100,000 in grants for the reconstruction of certain important bridges, and a main road up-keep grant of 40 per cent. of the expenditure under that head by county councils.
Sub-head K contains a provision of £400,000 for grants to local authorities for the execution of works under the Local Authorities (Works) Act, 1949.
In the last financial year, work was commenced on 48 waterworks and sewerage schemes, while 61 schemes were completed. The schemes in progress in March last are estimated to involve a total cost of £2,688,895 as compared with £2,595,550 in March, 1953. The portion of the North Dublin drainage scheme, comprising the laying of the intercepting sewer between Finglas and Raheny, is almost complete. Considerable progress was made during the year on the detailed planning of the second section from Raheny to the proposed outfall at Howth. Work commenced last September on the construction of the foundation for the 60" pressure culvert on the foreshore at Sutton. The acceptance of tenders for certain sections of the culvert have been approved in the meantime, as have draft contract documents for the Howth tunnel.
Work is now well advanced on the North Dublin regional water supply scheme.
Approval has issued to the acceptance of tenders for Dún Laoghaire main drainage scheme. Proposals for the acceptance of tenders for sections of a joint drainage scheme being promoted by the Dublin County Council and the Dún Laoghaire Borough Corporation to serve the Foxrock-Killiney district are under examination.
Other important sanitary services schemes now being proceeded with include two contracts for the Kildare regional water supply, schemes 2 and 3.
An issue of £5,000,000 Dublin Corporation 4½ per cent. stock at 97, underwritten jointly by the Minister for Finance and the banks, is at present in course of flotation.
The net indebtedness of local authorities increased in 1953-54 by about £9,000,000, and at the end of that year stood at £93,152,807.
In reply to a parliamentary question last week, I stated that I was satisfied that there is a need for a more accurate compilation of the Register of Electors. Omission and mistakes cannot be rectified unless we get specific information about them. I wish, therefore, to bespeak all possible publicity for my appeal to public representatives and to the electorate generally for definite evidence of particular inaccuracies or omissions where they have occurred. It is of manifest importance that these should be rectified before the local elections, which are due to be held next year.
There will, I am sure, be other opportunities during the year for debates on various aspects of local government law and administration. I do not, therefore, propose to protract my speech on the Estimates by any more detailed review at this stage.