asked the Minister for the Environment in view of the cost of subsidising rents of local authority houses, if he will request local authorities to concentrate on providing serviced sites at a reasonable cost to encourage private house building.
222.
Written Answers. - Private House Building.
221.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he is satisfied at the rate of progress by local authorities in providing serviced sites for persons willing to have their own houses built; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 and 222 together.
My Department and the local authorities give incentives to persons wishing to house themselves from their own resources by way of new house grants, the mortgage subsidy scheme and provision by local authorities of subsidised serviced sites for private house building.
Local authorities are encouraged to provide serviced sites through the allocation of capital for site requisition and development purposes and through the availability of subsidy where certain conditions are fulfilled and the sites are sold to certain categories of persons.
In general the prices charged for these serviced sites are the actual costs to the authority, i.e. land acquisition and development costs less the value of any subsidy payable.
There is no information in my Department from local authorities to indicate that the number of private sites available at present is inadequate to meet the current demand.
However, I would like to see increased activity by all local authorities in the provision of private sites so as to enable persons of limited means to be in a better position to house themselves and accordingly reduce the demand on local authority houses.