asked the Minister for Local Government if he will make a statement as to the prospects in the Dublin Corporation area, should normal circumstances prevail, of housing all families of four living in one room or as sub-tenants within a reasonable period; and if, having regard to the present building programme, he will state by when the families referred to will be accommodated.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Housing of Dublin Families.
28.
I understand from Dublin Corporation that the rehousing of families of four in one room or equivalent categories has already commenced in some areas, that, having regard to the day-to-day fluctuations in the approved waiting list, they are not in a position to say when all such cases will be housed, but that, generally, they expect to be in a position in the current financial year to rehouse a substantially greater number of such families than for many years past.
Would the Minister agree that his answer implies that it is impossible to say when four people in one room will be housed under the present administration?
It is not possible to say when the housing of this category will be completed because of the fact that there are these day-to-day fluctuations.
(Cavan): What exactly does the Minister mean by saying they will house many more of this category this year than have been housed for years past?
I mean what I said.
(Cavan): It is not a fact that in previous years they had not been housing any of this category?
That is true.
(Cavan): And is not the Minister's answer, therefore misleading?
For some years past they have not been housing this category but they have now got to the stage of housing a substantial number of them.
For the past ten years they were not housed.
Question No. 29.
(Cavan): It is not very difficult to house a substantial number more than none, and that is what the Minister said.
I am aware of that.
That is an admission.
I have called Question No. 29.
May we take it that the Minister seeks to establish that 0+1 represents an increase of 100 per cent? That, I think, will help Deputies to understand the situation.
Deputy Dillon's only complaint is that we have made such a recovery from the situation created by his mismanagement——
(Interruptions.)
Order. Question No. 29.
Under Deputy Dillon, people were going out of corporation houses faster than it was possible to put them in and this was as a result of mismanagement by Deputy Dillon's administration.
There were more houses built than there were tenants to go into them.
(Interruptions.)
Will the Minister please answer Question No. 29?
(Interruptions.)
May I raise a point of order? All during this Question Time, supplementary questions have been asked and listened to by this side of the House but, so soon as the Minister attempts to give an answer, Deputies opposite keep interrupting. Not only that but, at an early stage, they intervened when the Minister was reading the written answer. Surely, if a Minister is not permitted to reply, subsequent questions should not be called until he has had an opportunity of replying?
That is an unfair charge against the Chair.
I do not say that supplementaries should not be answered, but I have repeatedly called Question No. 29 and intervention has come from both sides of the House in an irrelevant fashion. Question No. 29.