Vol. 396 No. 2
119 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for the Environment if it is his policy to sanction purchase of private housing stock by local authorities; if so, the savings in the unit cost which this would make; whether he has reversed this policy; if so, when; and the reason.
120 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the fact that in November, 1989 Dublin County Council agreed to purchase private houses in north County Dublin; that in December 1989, he refused permission therefor, which refusal was repeated in February 1990; the reason such permission was refused.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 119 and 120 together.
It is my policy to sanction proposals from housing authorities for the purchase of private houses where they comply with the terms of the scheme, introduced in December 1984 for the purchase by local authorities of private houses and where there is provision within the authorities' capital allocations to finance them. Given the wide disparity in the cost of building and purchasing houses throughout the country and differences between houses built or purchased it is not possible to indicate what savings may arise. In the period from November 1989 to 15 December 1989, Dublin County Council submitted proposals to purchase and carry out some repairs to 14 second hand private houses in various parts of their area. The all in costs ranged from £27,000 to £49,600.
