asked the Minister for Lands and Fisheries whether he will state the number of applications for building grants under the Housing (Gaeltacht) Act, 1929, which have been received from County Donegal; and also the number of applications which have been sanctioned, and the number of houses which have been built in that county.

The number of applications received under the Housing (Gaeltacht) Act, 1929, from County Donegal is 2,350, of which 981 have been investigated. Grants have been sanctioned in 340 cases, and in 70 cases the building work has progressed sufficiently to enable the grants or portion of the grants to be paid by my Department.

Is there any possibility of the Minister's Department expediting the work of building these houses? Out of 2,350 applications only 70 houses are in course of erection.

I cannot expedite the building. Grants and loans have been sanctioned in 340 cases. I cannot take the parties by the back of the neck and compel them to build. We are paying according as they are building.

Of 2,350 applications, 981 have been investigated. Cannot the Minister expedite the investigation of the others?

981 cases have, in fact, been investigated and 340 grants have been sanctioned. Only 70 applicants, however, have sufficiently built to justify us in paying the grants.