asked the Minister for the Environment the current maximum cost limits for (i) suburban local authority housing, (ii) urban (inner city) local authority housing being set by his Department; and in respect of each the breakdown between (a) the cost per site, acquisition, (b) the cost per site development, and (c) the cost per dwelling unit, construction.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Authority Housing.
9.
No maximum cost limits are prescribed by my Department for suburban or inner city urban local authority housing schemes. Plans and tender proposals for individual schemes of 60 houses or more are considered on their merits on submission to me.
In the case of smaller schemes for which responsibility has been devolved to housing authorities, agreement is reached with the authority on unit building costs which vary for each scheme according to site and market conditions.
With the Chair's permission, I recognise that there is a flexibility in the Minister's Department regarding the interpretation of maximum, but would the Minister not agree that, for example, the proposals for the Corporation's housing at Queen's Terrace, Macken Street, are currently stalled in his Department over the question of layout cost? Would he not consider that my question was designed to obtain from his Department, without trying to get any rigidity of answer, some indication as to the guidelines used by the officials—guidelines which the local representatives frankly never see?
The Deputy did not specifically mention the proposal about which he is speaking. As far as my Department are concerned, the only fair way to judge if a cost in any particular scheme is acceptable is to take all the relevant factors affecting it into account, which would include site acquisition costs, site conditions, extent of roads, water and sewerage services necessary, densities, environmental features affecting layout and requiring costly factors in layout, the level of competition for tenders affecting rates for superstructure, labour availability and cost in the area, delays in preparation of alternative plans or in re-advertising, levels of fees and possible additional fees on re-design, cost of security and supervision, contract completion period, likely future maintenance costs, recent tender experience, availability and cost of bonds and estimated impact of price variation clauses.
I am grateful to the Minister for that information check list. Could I, through the Chair, ask if the Minister would be prepared to circulate, in a form similar to the one listed, those considerations to the members, as distinct from the officials, of housing departments and housing committees throughout the country for their guidance? A lot of time and delay might be circumvented if regard was had at the early stages by the public representatives to the kind of factors listed in the Minister's reply.
I shall do so. The Deputy already has the list now.
I use my post for other things.