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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 30 Oct 1958

Vol. 171 No. 3

Ceisteanna—Questions. - House Purchase Schemes.

asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in regard to purchase schemes enabling tenants to become the owners of their own houses the reason for differential treatment as between urban councils and corporations on the one hand and county councils on the other; if it is his intention to introduce legislation to place all such tenants on the same level, and, if so, when such legislation will be introduced.

The special purchase facilities available to tenants of labourers' cottages were provided by the Labourers Act, 1936, which gave effect to the recommendations of a commission of inquiry in support of the vesting of ownership of cottages in agricultural labourers as a class. Historically, the Act was part of the long process of providing security for persons working on the land.

The statutory definition of the term "agricultural labourer" has been so extended by successive Housing Acts that it now includes various classes of persons whose employment is not directly related to the land. One result of this development is that the terms of purchase available to such persons are frequently more advantageous than those available to tenants of urban houses who may be engaged in similar types of employment.

With regard to the second part of the question, any legislation designed to place all such tenants on the same level would, if it followed the tendency of housing legislation in recent years, have the effect of equating the conditions of tenancy of persons housed under the Labourers Acts to those applicable under the Housing of the Working Classes Acts.

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