asked the Minister for Local Government what is the present legal position of a county council which desires to provide an internal water supply to vested cottages in respect of the expenditure on such schemes.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Water Supplies in Vested Cottages.
55.
As I stated in reply to a similar Question by the Deputy on November 30th last, county councils are not empowered under the Housing Acts to incur expenditure on the provision of internal services in vested labourers cottages.
Would the Minister say whether he proposes to introduce legislation to enable a local authority, when providing an internal water supply for non-vested cottages, to undertake at the same time on some mutually acceptable terms the provision of a water supply for vested cottages in the same original scheme of houses? Otherwise, we may have a situation in which half the houses in the scheme will have a water supply and the other half will have none.
I can assure the Deputy that a provision, which I hope the House will discuss in the very near future, will be introduced which, I trust, will meet the circumstances of the cases outlined by the Deputy. I do not think it would be true to say, however, that legislation is being promoted with a view to enabling councils to provide services to houses already vested.
I did not catch the first portion of the Minister's reply. Did the Minister say there are already powers there or did he say powers will be devised?
I did not say either. What I did say was that there will be facilities available to owners of vested cottages to enable the owners themselves to connect up with the services.
Will that necessitate legislation or will it be possible to do it by administrative act?
It will be brought before the House in the Sanitary Services Bill.
Before the House rises?
Yes.
Is it not a fact that under present legislation houses which are vested but for which the term of annuity has not been completed can have such services supplied by the local authority?
I have not found any local authority attempting to do anything such as this but, if they have, I have not prevented them. If they say that is the law, I shall have a look at it.
That is all right.