asked the Minister for Local Government if, in view of the serious housing crisis in Dublin city, he will introduce legislation to prevent the demolition of houses which are fit for human habitation except in such cases where it is intended to provide sites for immediate construction of municipal housing units; and whether, with a view to a long term solution of this problem, he will take all necessary steps to protect existing sound accommodation, prevent the wilful obstruction of public housing construction by vested interests and speculators and provide adequate financial assistance to local authorities to tackle this urgent national crisis.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Demolition of Dublin Houses.
68.
As I have already indicated in reply to a Parliamentary Question by Deputy Moore, legislation to control the demolition of habitable houses is at present under consideration.
At present under consideration?
I did not know Deputy Dillon had arrived.
Did you not? It is a long time under consideration.
The Deputy is welcome. Pity he was not here earlier.
Is the Minister worried about who is present?
Order. Deputies should allow the Minister to reply.
Derisive laughter, sir, is not disorderly.
There will be no avoidable delay in introducing it.
While I have no wish to minimise the problems of Dublin housing, I find it hard to appreciate the basis for the Deputy's reference to a crisis. I should perhaps remind him that in November, 1956, the Corporation in their Housing Review estimated their total housing need then at 17,950.
Deputy Lemass said we had too many houses.
The Corporation's approved waiting list now has 5,410 approved applicants on it and there are a further 4,662 applicants who have not yet been passed as eligible for re-housing by them. The corporation's own assessment of their accumulated housing need is 8,518 dwellings.
In the interval between March, 1957, and the present, the corporation have built or made available to tenants from their existing stock approximately 18,000 dwellings and have approved applications for a further 6,000 loans approximately, to help persons buy their own houses. At 31st December, they had a further 6,191 houses under construction, in tender or at planning stage, in addition to 658 applications on hands for house purchase loans. These figures do not, of course, include the very substantial numbers of houses provided or being provided in the city and county by persons building or buying their own houses, with the aid of loans from building societies assurance companies, banks and other institutions.
To enable the corporation to carry out their programme the Government have made available to them in the period from March, 1957, approximately £42 million for the construction of houses and for house-purchase loans and supplementary grants. This sum includes the corporation's capital allocation in the current financial year of about £8.86 million approximately, or three times their expenditure on housing just over four years ago.
In addition, the Government provided £1.126 million last year to subsidise the rents of corporation houses. This sum is additional to the £1.164 million which the corporation themselves spent for the same purpose from the rates. The total amount for subsidies in the current year will be substantially higher.
Capital and housing subsidies are provided for other local authorities, to whom the Deputy refers, in the same way as for Dublin Corporation. In fact, the overall provision for housebuilding, loans and grants in the State capital budget in the current financial year is of the order of £25.63 million—or substantially more than has ever been provided by any Government for housing, as the Deputy will see by reference to the reply to Question No. 69. In addition, the overall provision for rent subsidies for local authority housing in the current financial year is estimated to be of the order of £6.5 million, including £3.5 million provided by the State and £3.0 million from the rates.
Finally, let me add that with an estimated 11,700 private and local authority houses to be completed in this financial year, the Government are well on the way to achieving the target of 12,000 to 14,000 houses a year announced by them in 1964.
The Minister has stated he intends to introduce legislation to stop the demolition of habitable houses. Obviously, the Minister agrees—he has so indicated—that there is a crisis and that he considers that legislation necessary. May I ask him when does he anticipate the legislation will be introduced?
There will not be any avoidable delay. It may be too late to deal with some cases which Deputy Cluskey, as a member of the Dublin Planning Authority, has allowed.
Give the planning authority the permission and they will work. Does the Minister not agree that the question is posed not for the purpose of ascertaining the progress made in building houses but in connection with the control of the developers? That being so, does the Minister not further agree he would be better occupied in dealing with the real purpose of the question rather than in painting a rosy picture, bearing in mind——
The Deputy may not make a speech on housing.
Will the Minister indicate what he proposes to do about the situation dealt with in the question? Does he propose to do anything pending the introduction of legislation?
I have told the Deputy what I intend to do—to introduce legislation.
Leave it until all your friends have been fixed up.
The only cases that have been allowed have been allowed by the authority of which Deputies Cluskey and Mullen are members.
Does that refer to Kilbarrack and Mountpleasant?
There is no question of the demolition of habitable houses.
Question No. 69.
It is incorrect for the Minister to say we acquiesced in this type of thing. The Minister should not be saying these things when they are not true.
They are true.
They are not true.
Will the Deputy resume his seat?
Deputies Cluskey and Mullen are involved. It is they who gave the permission.