Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Authority Housing. – Dáil Éireann (21st Dáil) – Thursday, 16 Feb 1978

Mr. Quinn

asked the Minister for the Environment if he will indicate in respect of each local authority (1) the number of people on each housing list; (2) the number of applicants on each housing list; and (3) the number of dwellings it is proposed to construct and complete in the year 1978 in each area.

2.

Mr. Keating

asked the Minister for the Environment if it is the Government's intention to accelerate the local authority housing drive in Dublin and other urban areas to meet the serious need which exists.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Barrett)

I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together and to circulate with the Official Report a statement showing the numbers of approved applications for rehousing which local authorities had on hands at 30 September 1977 and the approximate numbers of persons included in these applications at that date.

It is not possible at this stage of the year to give information about the number of dwellings which it is proposed to construct and complete in each area during 1978. The number will depend on the level of the allocations which will be made to local authorities during the year. The capital allocations for local authority housing in 1978 in individual areas cannot be decided until all claims from local authorities for finance in respect of work in progress and new schemes proposed for commencement have been submitted to and examined by my Department.

It will however be the Government's aim to maintain activity on the local authority housing programme at a high level in 1978 so that priority can be given to meeting the most urgent housing needs, including those of the Dublin area, and to ensure that a high level of employment continues on the programme.

Following is the statement:—

Approved applications for local authority housing on hands at 30 September 1977.

Housing authority	Number of approved applications comprising families of—	Approximate number of persons included in approved applications comprising families of—
3 persons or less	4 persons or more	Total	3 persons or less	4 persons or more	Total
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)
County Councils:
Carlow	176	85	261	422	421	843
Cavan	274	111	385	547	594	1,141
Clare	149	69	218	347	335	682
Cork (North)	64	64	128	171	291	462
Cork (South)	216	189	405	571	880	1,451
Cork (West)*
Donegal	376	633	1,009	882	3,416	4,298
Dublin	1,329	463	1,792	3,096	2,127	5,223
Galway	183	118	301	420	614	1,034
Kerry	355	749	1,104	760	3,588	4,348
Kildare*
Kilkenny	56	44	100	155	216	371
Laois	189	58	247	429	301	730
Leitrim	95	104	199	185	574	759
Limerick	176	130	306	431	648	1,079
Longford	95	95	190	275	480	755
Louth	189	130	319	483	632	1,115
Mayo	784	444	1,228	1,432	2,344	3,776
Meath	357	339	696	906	1,686	2,592
Monaghan	363	136	499	716	667	1,383
Offaly	61	156	217	167	826	993
Roscommon	78	170	248	188	990	1,178
Sligo	75	73	148	156	356	512
Tipperary NR	91	107	198	216	607	823
Tipperary SR	218	14	232	347	64	411
Waterford	148	85	233	384	424	808
Westmeath	195	165	360	493	844	1,337
Wexford*
Wicklow	299	165	464	719	809	1,528
County Borough Councils:
Cork	1,037	434	1,471	2,343	2,137	4,480
Dublin	4,247	2,026	6,273	9,923	9,399	19,322
Limerick	597	159	756	1,492	729	2,221
Waterford	349	110	459	775	497	1,272
Urban District Councils:
Arklow	29	23	52	87	104	191
Athlone	36	24	60	87	122	209
Athy	15	41	56	45	189	234
Ballina*
Ballinasloe	48	26	74	103	138	241
Birr	22	11	33	61	59	120
Bray	145	65	210	374	313	687
Buncrana	3	—	3	6	—	6
Bundoran	1	10	11	3	40	43
Carlow	130	41	171	340	204	508
Carrickmacross	27	20	47	68	90	158
Carrick-on-Suir	86	23	109	211	101	312
Cashel	23	18	41	56	82	138
Castlebar	9	23	32	20	137	157
Castleblayney	92	15	107	162	68	230
Cavan	52	8	60	125	32	157
Ceanannus Mór	16	11	27	41	62	103
Clonakilty	—	—	—	—	—	—
Clones	28	9	37	54	45	99
Clonmel	64	16	80	159	71	230
Cobh*
Drogheda*
Dundalk	279	71	350	569	351	920
Dungarvan	110	57	167	253	280	533
Dún Laoghaire	423	151	574	917	667	1,584
Ennis	28	4	32	70	21	91
Enniscorthy	6	2	8	13	9	22
Fermoy*
Galway	147	22	169	326	102	428
Kilkenny	163	33	196	356	152	508
Killarney	55	17	72	108	82	190
Kilrush	8	6	14	24	28	52
Kinsale*
Letterkenny	38	30	68	92	152	244
Listowel	35	10	45	71	47	118
Longford	35	38	73	103	187	290
Macroom	—	—	—	—	—	—
Mallow	17	20	37	48	90	138
Midleton	35	3	38	82	12	94
Monaghan	76	20	96	146	104	250
Naas*
Navan	33	8	41	66	42	108
Nenagh	50	28	78	123	146	269
New Ross	29	47	76	69	253	322
Skibbereen	18	10	28	44	51	95
Sligo	139	25	164	321	128	449
Templemore*
Thurles	82	33	115	206	147	353
Tipperary	34	32	66	75	165	240
Tralee	153	46	199	307	220	527
Trim	26	12	38	63	52	115
Tullamore	47	12	59	123	54	177
Wesport*
Wexford	169	93	262	386	396	782
Wicklow	11	1	12	22	7	29
Youghal	39	50	89	106	235	341

NOTES: 1. The figures in the table relate to approved applications on hands of local housing authorities.

2. The required information is not available in the Department in respect of the housing authorities marked with an asterisk (*).

3. The figures for Dublin Corporation and Birr Urban District Council relate to the position at the 31 October 1977 and 31 December, 1977, respectively.

4. The figures in column (5) of the table are approximate since they have been extrapolated from the available data in the Department which does not give separate details of the small number of families comprising eight or more persons on approved lists.

Mr. Quinn

Did the Minister say that in the tabular statement he will provide information in relation to the number of applicants on each housing list?

Mr. Barrett

Yes, in the tabular statement there are figures of the number of approved applications and the approximate number of persons included in approved applications.

Mr. Quinn

Is it not possible for the Minister to state the number of local authority dwellings it is proposed to construct? I understand from his reply that he is not in a position yet to give the information because of the finalisation of the capitation figures in regard to each local authority.

Mr. Barrett

We have nearly completed that side of it and in the near future I will be in a position to give the required information.

Mr. Quinn

Will it be in order for me to put a question to extract that information when it becomes available —that I will not be subject to the six month rule?

Mr. Barrett

It will be in order.

An Ceann Comhairle

The Chair will decide whether it will be in order.

Mr. Keating

Is it not the case that the commitment to accelerate the housing drive is in total conflict with the Government's policy in the White Paper? I refer to the statement on page 42 to the effect that the rate of increase in output in 1979 would be less than that for 1977. Does the White Paper not commit the Government to this, and I quote, "The level of activity in the local authority housing programme and/or the extent of Exchequer subsidies will have to be subjected to continuous critical review"? Does that not clearly imply a depression in that development rather than what the Minister has just said?

Mr. Barrett

This is my first year in the Department. I would expect the Department always to have this under critical review.

Mr. Keating

Why refer to it now unless——

An Ceann Comhairle

This is argument and we have no time for argument.

Mr. Keating

I am trying to elicit whether the Minister's statement is consistent with the policy in the White Paper. It seems to be in total conflict. He said housing output——

Mr. Barrett

The answer I gave is that it will be the Government's aim to maintain activity in the local authority housing programme at a high level in 1978 so that priority can be given to meeting the most urgent housing needs, including those in the Dublin area, and to ensure that a high level of employment will be attained in the programme.

Mr. Keating

Therefore, the White Paper is in conflict with the Minister.

Mr. Barrett

Put down a question about the White Paper.

3.

Mr. Keating

asked the Minister for the Environment if it is the Government's intention to ensure the maintenance and improvement of local authority rented accommodation in terms of standard, supply and access.

Mr. Barrett

As regards the standard of new local authority housing, I would refer the Deputy to my reply to his Question No. 22 of 3 November last in which, inter alia, I informed him that the Government's aim in both the private and public housing sectors is to ensure a high quality of construction and environmental standards. With regard to the supply of new local authority rented dwellings, I would refer the Deputy to my reply today to his Question No. 2 and Deputy Quinn's No. 1 about the anticipated level of output of local authority dwellings.

As regards access to local authority rented accommodation, eligibility for rehousing by local authorities is governed by the authorities' approved schemes of letting priorities. Access to dwellings in the physical sense is determined by the construction and environmental standards to which I have already referred.

On the question of existing local authority rented accommodation, this is primarily the concern of each local authority who are responsible for the maintenance, improvement and management of their housing estates. For this purpose the authorities may retain their income from rents and miscellaneous receipts and 60 per cent of the proceeds from sales of their houses to tenants.

Mr. Keating

Would the Minister elaborate on the question of access, particularly in reference to Government policy in the White Paper in which it is stated that it is intended to examine circumstances of housing applicants in more detail to determine priority needs? Would he explain the greater degree of scrutiny that will come about in regard to housing applications?

Mr. Barrett

On the question of access, I presume the Deputy is referring to eligibility for local authority housing. Eligibility will continue to be governed by the criteria in each local authority scheme of letting priorities specified in section 60 of the 1966 Housing Act. These include unfitness, overcrowding, medical reasons and so forth of applicants who are unable to rehouse themselves from their own resources.

Mr. Keating

That does not answer the question I asked. I should like to know if the omission of any reference to maintenance of local authority dwellings from the White Paper is indicative of the Government's thinking with regard to the future question of local authority housing?

An Ceann Comhairle

That is not a relevant supplementary and the Minister may not answer.

Mr. Keating

I submit it is relevant to the question——

An Ceann Comhairle

That is enough.

Mr. Quinn

In view of the statement in the White Paper, will the Minister indicate the financial criteria —whether it is his intention to propose that the system of letting priorities be altered so that financial criteria would be introduced in relation to eligibility?

Mr. Barrett

On the question of eligibility, it is the business of the particular local authority to allocate houses under the existing Act.

Mr. Quinn

That has been my understanding. I am therefore perturbed by the Minister's reply which does not seem to square with the specific statement published by the Government the effect of which is that, in addition to the normal set of criteria of any housing authority, there is to be a new element of financial criteria. Has he any plans to change the priorities with regard to lettings?

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 16 Feb 1978