asked the Minister for Local Government the total number of new dwellings completed in each of the years ended 31st March, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973.
Ceistéanna—Questions Oral Answers - Housing Statistic.
29.
As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to have it circulated with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
|
Financial year |
Number of new dwellings completed |
|
1969-70 |
13,644 |
|
1970-71 |
13,671 |
|
1971-72 |
15,921 |
|
1972-73 |
21,647 |
30.
asked the Minister for Local Government the basis on which the Government's housing target of 25,000 completions this year was arrived at.
The target of 25,000 new houses a year was based on an awareness of the numbers of families on waiting lists for local authority housing and on an assessment of the housing situation generally, including the extent of the accumulated needs, arising from unfitness and overcrowding, which the former Government acknowledged in their White Paper, "Housing in the Seventies".
Could the Minister say whether the awareness of the numbers on waiting lists and on an assessment of the housing situation generally arose after the present Government took office or before they took office?
The awareness of the assessment was certainly in the booklet "Housing in the Seventies". What the Government are going to do about it arose, I think, after the Government took office.
Would it be true then, to say that there was no basis for the figure other than a guess by the members of the present Government?
There was every reason for such a figure being adduced and there was a most detailed assessment by the present Government over long hours at Cabinet meetings to discover the best that could be done to relieve the existing dreadful housing situation for young people.
So the Minister has no basis for the 25,000. Should it not have been 30,000 or 35,000?
The target of 25,000 is directly related to finance in the Capital Budget, as the ex-Minister for Finance knows perfectly well, and our target is 25,000 houses and it is stated to be such.
So we may take it the requirement is related to financial resources rather than to the White Paper to which the Minister referred?
Indeed, no.
The Minister just said that.
Indeed, no. The financial requirement to build 25,000 houses was a major consideration on the part of this Government and was properly dealt with as such.
The Minister does not intend to build 35,000 houses.
There was a promise that 25,000 houses would be built this year and the Minister for Finance in his budget statement said he would nail his colours to the mast but there seems to be some doubt in the mind of the Government Chief Whip about this and I should like some clarification and some confirmation.
I can gladly confirm that the target is set and every effort will be made to reach it.
I would like to know if it is a commitment.