andMr. O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Local Government the reasons for the delay in sanctioning tenders for the erection of cottages in the Cork County Council West area; and when the tenders will be approved.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Cork Cottages.
37.
Proposals are before my Department for the acceptance of tenders for 16 rural cottages in the west Cork area. A non-traditional form of concrete panel construction is proposed for 13 of these cottages. The panels which it is proposed to use have been undergoing tests and are currently the subject of correspondence between my Department and the manufacturers. The other three cottages are to be of traditional construction but the estimated cost of these cottages would be entirely excessive on the basis of the tenders which are proposed for acceptance and my Department has been seeking ways and means of securing economies in cost.
Arrangements have been made for discussions between officers of my Department and the county council on the proposals to try to reach finality on them as soon as possible.
Would the Minister not agree that he has held up our housing programme which is exceptionally limited in west Cork by refusing to sanction the tenders, having regard to the fact that we advertised several times and contacted contractors in west Cork in an effort to get them to tender for the erection of such houses and that there is no possibility of getting the prices reduced? The council has endeavoured in every way possible to get better prices but it is not possible because it is accepted that the price for building local authority houses compares more than favourably with the price of private housing in the district.
It would be very wrong to sanction prices which are as excessive as these are without making every possible effort to secure economies in cost. I think the Department are right in trying to ensure that these houses are built at a reasonable cost.
While the Minister is, as he alleges, making every possible effort to bring down the cost the people are without housing or are living in unsuitable houses. Surely, there is an obligation on the Minister to take cognisance of that fact? Am I right in saying the Minister is mainly interested in depriving us of the moneys from public funds which would go towards the building of these houses? Without doubt the Minister is discriminating against us very much in west Cork.
I am aware that the Deputy wants to encourage high prices for housing apparently but I do not intend to co-operate with him.