andMr. P. O'Donnell asked the Minister for Local Government the average cost of providing a local authority house in each of the years 1955 to 1966, inclusive.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Authority House Costs.
23.
The information requested is not available in my Department.
Is the Minister telling the House that he is not aware of the cost of building a house in any of these years?
I said I have not got the information I was asked for.
Would the Minister inquire?
There is a wide disparity as between the different local authorities in the cost of providing housing. It would not be possible to give a reasonable figure that would——
I have asked for an average. Would it be too embarassing for the Minister to answer?
The information asked for is not available.
Of course it is.
Would the Minister agree the cost of building a labourer's cottage has gone up by £1,200?
Has the Minister in his Department not got a note of all the houses built since 1955? I take it the answer to that is "yes".
Yes.
Is there not somebody in the Department capable of dividing the amount by the number of houses built so as to get an average?
It would not have any real meaning to do such a thing. The housing figures include information about urban houses, urban flats, serviced houses and unserviced houses, rural houses. This information is available.
As Deputy Ryan has said, surely these figures are available in the Minister's Department, and in view of the fact that every house being built in Donegal must be sanctioned by the Department of Local Government before the county council can appoint a contractor, surely the price is also known to the Minister and his Department?
Deputy Harte did not ask me about one particular type of local authority dwelling.
I have.
It took Deputy Harte to judge the validity of the answer.
There is no point in computing an average as between urban flats and unserviced rural houses.
That is different information from the Minister's original information.
Would the Minister be in a position to give me an answer to that if I put down a question at a later date?
If the Deputy puts down a question, he will get an answer. He has got the answer to the question he has down today.
He has not.
(Cavan): Is it not a fact that the Minister will not have much difficulty in giving the information on cottages for the last year because there were none built?
I was not asked that.