Vol. 415 No. 4
25 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for the Environment if he will expand the current scheme to provide bathroom and toilet facilities for privately owned houses in both urban and rural areas where household income makes the funding of such works impossible; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
While there is no scheme for the provision of such facilities in private houses generally, there are a number of ways in which particular categories of persons can be assisted: house improvement loans of up to £3,000 unsecured, and £10,000 secured; the new scheme whereby local authorities can have improvement works, including the installation of bathroom facilities, carried out to the existing accommodation of approved applicants for local authority housing, as an alternative to rehousing; the disabled persons construction grants scheme and the task force on special housing aid for the elderly which provides assistance to elderly persons living alone in unfit or insanitary accommodation.
I intend to keep under review the need for any additional measures in this regard.
Will the Minister accept that the four schemes to which he referred are totally inadequate in terms of funding available to them? Obviously the loan scheme would not be available to people who could not afford to repay the money. The other three schemes are barely funded — for example, only £200,000 has been provided in the southeast for the housing scheme for the elderly. Will the Minister consider as a priority the whole question of rural elderly people living in houses with no bathroom or water facilities, with a view to improving substantially the quality of life for these people?
I do not accept that the schemes are totally inadequate. They cater for a certain category of person. Of course we are continually considering ways in which we can improve the housing stock, particularly as regards water and sewerage facilities.
Will the Minister accept that the schemes to which he has referred only scratch the surface when one considers the urgent need for housing? Will he agree that thousands of families below the poverty line, live in dire conditions, without bathroom and toilet facilities? If means tested grants were restored it would help alleviate the hardship and suffering of these people.
I have no proposal at present to reintroduce home improvement grants, but I would point out to the Deputies that under the Programme for Social Housing new initiatives were introduced such as the initiative whereby local authorities can have improvement works carried out to existing accommodation of approved applicants for local authority housing as an alternative to rehousing. If the people who Deputy Enright said are living in such dire conditions are eligible for local authority housing there is no reason they should not be eligible under this scheme.
Will the Minister refer to a category of person who is unable to avail of those schemes? I am talking about residents of vested cottages, many of whom are elderly and do not have the necessary finance to carry out the necessary work to their homes. I ask the Minister to consider introducing a mechanism whereby basic facilities such as water and bathroom facilities will be provided for these people. Notwithstanding what the Minister has said there is no such mechanism at present.
Not alone have I referred to one mechanism but there is also the task force on special housing needs for the elderly——
There is a five year waiting list.
It is only peanuts in money terms.
——which provides assistance to elderly persons living alone in unfit or insanitary accommodation. In certain circumstances where a person is disabled and is living in a house without water or sanitary facilities the scheme provides for the installation of such facilities.
Will the Minister accept that there are up to 25,000 dwellings here without bathroom facilities, of which 6,000 are local authority dwellings? Will he acknowledge that considering the present progress we will be 20 years into the new century before all these houses have been provided with bathrooms and running water? Will he accept that we should at least ensure that this problem is eliminated before we reach the 21st century?
As regards local authority houses it is a matter for the local authority to instal water and sanitary services.
They have no money to do so.
They have money. In the last number of years they received a special allocation under the remedial works scheme——
Only a small number of them received it.
——and they have done excellent work with that money.
The Minister is living in a different world.
It would take about 29 years to provide all the necessary facilities.
In so far as the Minister has put such great emphasis on the plan for social housing as a means of resolving the problem will he indicate to the House the amount of money that will be available to local authorities for 1992 under this section of the plan for social housing to carry out such refurbishments and when local authorities will be notified of their allocations?
I do not have the information on that question but I have information in reply to an earlier question. The amount of money for which section?
For the section of the programme which provides for the refurbishment of houses as an alternative to providing local authority housing.
The local authority housing finance for the current year, including remedial works, is £66.9 million. The voluntary housing capital scheme is £11.5 million; rental subsidy, £5 million; new house grants, £9 million; improvement grants, £3.3 million; the task force, £2 million; shared ownership, £35.1 million and purchase and improvement loans, £25 million——
What about toilets?
——and that amounts to £157.8 million, which is a very substantial increase over the £119 million last year.
When will local authorities be notified of the specific allocation under this for 1992?
I will communicate with the Deputy.
