Vol. 347 No. 2
asked the Minister for the Environment if he has any proposals to undertake joint ventures between local authorities and the private sector in (i) housing, (ii) the construction of roads, (iii) sewerage treatment schemes and (iv) any infrastructural or development projects which would be suitable for such arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
12.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he will encourage local authorities to enter into joint venture schemes for the construction of local authority houses.
13.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he noted the contents of an address given recently by the managing director of the CIF entitled Privatisation of Local Authority Works; and, if so, if he will comment on the use of this approach to execute many urgently needed projects in his Department.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 12 and 13 together.
I am satisfied that there is scope for joint venture projects based on privatisation or partnership arrangements between local authorities and private interests and I am anxious to encourage soundly based projects of this nature. I have seen a copy of the address referred to by Deputy Leonard.
Projects currently being carried out as joint ventures between local authorities and private developers include a bridge over the river Liffey at Ringsend and a multi-storey car park at Marlborough Street, Dublin. Proposals for further projects being considered at present include a bridge over the river Liffey at Palmerstown, as part of the Dublin western parkway scheme, and multi-storey car parks at Drury Lane, Dublin, and Lavitt's Quay, Cork.
On the housing side, a joint venture arrangement has been in operation since February 1982 whereby local authorities may enter into a special agreement with builders under which they provide them with sites or building land at a price based on the cost of acquisition for the purposes of building modestly priced houses for sale to selected purchasers. I understand that a number of housing schemes under this arrangement have been undertaken or are being considered at various locations around the country.
In a number of areas the local authorities provide developed housing sites, either for small builders or persons building their own houses, on the basis of acquisition and development costs. In these cases the persons concerned can receive the benefit of a site subsidy payable by my Department to the local authority, provided specified conditions are met.
Joint venture or privatisation arrangements have operated in the case of a number of major sanitary services projects in the past with funding being shared by the local authorities and the relevant industries.
I am aware that some local authorities have entered into joint venture schemes for the construction of local authority houses. Will the Minister encourage greater participation in such joint venture schemes to accelerate the construction of local authority houses and houses that will become available to people who qualify under the local authority housing waiting lists? What action is the Minister taking to encourage local authorities to become more and more involved in joint venture schemes? I am aware there are a few schemes dribbling along but there does not seem to be any great enthusiasm from the Department or from the Minister so far.
It will be accepted what local authorities can do in this area. If it requires me to put pressure on them to expand their activities I shall have no difficulty on that score, but local authorities and their members are well aware of what can be done. Certainly my Department will encourage any authority that wishes to proceed along those lines.
The House recognises the urgent need for the construction of homes for the large numbers of people awaiting them on local authority housing lists. My question is to ask the Minister — and perhaps he would answer it directly — what he is doing to encourage local authorities to involve themselves in joint venture schemes for the purpose of increasing the output of local authority houses?
Encouragement to build houses by my Department, or through pressure from me, is best done by providing adequate sums in the Estimate for the building of houses and certainly also in assuring local authorities that they can put forward proposals, such as the Deputy has suggested, for consideration by my Department when they will certainly receive a very sympathetic hearing. But initially the best we can do is to ensure that adequate money is provided in the Estimates for local authority housing.
In other words, the Minister will sit back and hope that something will happen.
For as long as I am over here I will not be sitting back.
The Minister will be aware that there are serious infrastructural deficiencies at present and at the same time we have a declining construction industry. In the area of roads, recent surveys have revealed that 25 per cent of our road structures are unsound and that there will be required £600 million on top of normal expenditure to prevent our roads structure from total collapse. At this stage is it not possible for the Minister to initiate a programme under which it would be possible to involve the construction industry and his Department which would ensure that the whole of our roads structure will not collapse within the next 12 months or so?
When the Tánaiste was in this Department he submitted a proposal to the Government to establish a road finance agency which is having consideration. If the Government so decide and such an agency is established it will encourage private interests to become involved in roads construction and will enhance that possibility. I am hopeful of a successful outcome to our discussions in that respect which I hope will meet the needs that the Deputy has put to me.
Might I raise the matter of a question that was disallowed yesterday relating to UDR members who are charged with serious crimes. Might I ask why that question was ruled out of order?
That information was conveyed to the Deputy by my secretary. The remaining questions will appear on next Tuesday's Order Paper.
