asked the Minister for Local Government the estimated number of persons living in Ballymun housing estate, Dublin; and whether further dwellings will be erected in that area.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ballymun (Dublin) Housing.
54.
There is no information in my Department as to the number of persons living in the Ballymun housing estate. No proposal for the provision of further local authority dwellings in that area has been submitted for my consideration. It would be for Dublin Corporation to initiate any such proposals.
Surely the Minister is aware that the building of local authority houses has commenced on one of the football pitches which the Minister recently stated were available as a recreational facility and that further dwellings have been commenced recently in Ballymun.
It all depends what——
I am talking about the satellite town.
——the Deputy intended by the question. The Deputy refers in his question to the area. There are some developments in the neighbourhood of the Ballymun housing estate but they are not part of the project itself. There is no extension of the Ballymun project under consideration in my Department and there are no proposals, as far as I know, from Dublin Corporation to extend the Ballymun estate as we know it, but developments are taking place in the neighbourhood.
I understand schools and houses for priests are to be built, but local authority dwellings are being built on land which was previously allocated to the Ballymun satellite town.
I do not know whether that is correct. It may have been used temporarily as a playing area pending provision of permanent recreational facilities for residents.
New houses are going up within 20 yards of one block of flats in the Ballymun estate area. The Minister should accept my invitation to visit the Ballymun satellite town. His last visit was a very select one.
I went there in the company of Deputy Dowling.
The Minister should come back and see what is happening to the football pitches.