asked the Minister for Local Government if he is now prepared to sanction the proposal by Kildare County Council to erect unserviced houses in certain areas where fully serviced houses cannot be erected.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Kildare Houses.
55.
I am opposed to the provision of unserviced houses except in wholly exceptional circumstances. I have informed Kildare County Council, however, that a limited number of unserviced single rural cottages may be provided in specific cases where the council is satisfied the housing needs of applicants can only be met in this manner, and where a serviced dwelling cannot be provided either because of the nature of the sub-soil or because the cost of providing piped services would be prohibitive.
(Cavan): Am I to take it that the Minister for Local Government proposes to tolerate Kildare County Council erecting houses in 1972 without water and sewerage? Is that what the Minister's answer means?
Only in exceptional circumstances.
(Cavan): May I respectfully say that it is outrageous in this day and age to contemplate in any circumstances the provision of houses for human beings without water or sewerage? I would ask the Minister to reconsider the matter and to site them elsewhere or to go to a little more expense and provide them with these necessary services.
My Department require modern facilities in all local authority houses and it is only in wholly exceptional circumstances——
(Cavan): What are they?
——that we would sanction houses which did not have these facilities. It is our policy and aim to provide them in all homes.
Question No. 53.
(Cavan): This is not a case of a poor person providing a house for himself. This is a case of Kildare County Council building houses, at public expense, without water or sewerage.
The applicant for housing sometimes expresses a wish to have the house located in a particular area where it may not be possible to provide these services. As far as possible the local authority will encourage that person to accept a location for a new house where it is possible to provide the service. In some cases the person may not be satisfied with the suggested locations and if that type of exceptional case arises it is possible that we might agree to sanction it.
(Cavan): These are not private houses.
These are local authority houses provided to meet the needs of the applicants.
(Cavan): The question relates to houses being built by Kildare County Council. One applicant may be living in these houses this year and another person may have to live in them next year. Surely the Department, instead of tolerating this type of building, should give further grants to provide septic tanks and more wells?
We do, but in all the cases mentioned all these matters would have been gone into. In some cases the sub-soil conditions may not be suitable for septic tanks.
(Cavan): The Minister's suggestion is absolutely primitive.
The Deputy is absolutely unreasonable in his approach to this because he fully understands the policy of the Department. Anyway, the number of unserviced rural cottages being provided now is negligible and we discourage them.
(Cavan): The Minister is being primitive.
56.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will sanction the lay-out plan for local authority houses and private sites recently submitted for Caragh, County Kildare.
I have asked the housing authority to review their plans for this scheme and I am awaiting their further submission.