asked the Minister for the Environment if he will state the steps he proposes to take to improve living conditions for inhabitants of non-Gaeltacht off-shore islands.
Written Answers. - Non-Gaeltacht Islands.
41.
I have no proposals at present to expand the already extensive range of assistance currently made available by my Department for the improvement of living conditions on these islands, viz: (1) Grants of £3,600 for first time owneroccupiers of new houses. This is £1,600 or 80 per cent greater than the corresponding mainland grant; (2) A comprehensive scheme of house improvement grants under which a house satisfying all the qualifying conditions can attract grants totalling £8,700 or, in the case of a pre-1940 house, £11,590. These amounts are greater than the corresponding mainland grants by £2,300 (36 per cent) and £2,990 (35 per cent) respectively. A grant may not exceed two-thirds of the approved cost; (3) Group water grants scheme under which, in the case of islands in the western package area, grant assistance amounts to 80 per cent of the cost per supply subject to a maximum £940 for a domestic supply and £500 for a farm supply. The corresponding maxima on the mainland are £700 and £500 respectively; (4) Group sewerage schemes under which grant assistance may amount to two-thirds of the cost subject to a maximum of £750 per house. The corresponding maximum on the mainland is £500; (5) The local improvements scheme under which farm road projects, on those islands in the EC western package area, may qualify for grant assistance of up to 90 per cent of the cost; (6) A grant scheme for the provision of community centres on non-Gaeltacht islands under which grants of up to 75 per cent of the cost are made available through the local authorities; (7) The recently announced west Cork package includes grant assistance of £3,500 for the completion of a folk museum and craft centre and £60,000 for the purchase of materials for employment schemes on Bere Island, County Cork.