asked the Minister for Local Government if further to a previous reply on the subject, he will now state the up-to-date position, and the progress made since that reply, on the loan for the erection of a scheme of privately owned SDA houses to be built by the National Building Agency which was sought some time ago by Clonmel Corporation.

Clonmel Corporation were notified last week of a capital allocation of £90,000 payments on foot of loans in the coming financial year and should now be in a position to determine the level of new loan allocations which they will make.

Would the Minister indicate whether the amount of money required in respect of this particular scheme was, in fact, allocated or whether it is less than the amount required?

I am sorry; I cannot hear the Deputy.

Has the Minister sanctioned the full amount required for this particular scheme?

I am afraid the Deputy would have to give me a little time to get that figure straight.

42.

asked the Minister for Local Government what is the present position regarding the loan for the erection of an urgently needed scheme of houses at Old Bridge, Clonmel, County Tipperary; and what progress has been made since his last reply on this matter.

Clonmel Corporation were notified last week of their capital allocation for the coming financial year in respect of local authority housing schemes and were asked to decide the order of priority of works to be undertaken within that allocation. Approval of the loan for the scheme at Old Bridge is dependent on the corporation's decision.

Does not the Minister's reply in the context of these two questions mean that, in fact, he has not sanctioned any loan for any specified scheme?

That is correct.

He has sanctioned a global sum for the Clonmel local authority and, if that sum proves inadequate for the various schemes submitted for his sanction, those schemes cannot be forthcoming in the coming financial year.

If the total amount is greater than the total amount indicated, they obviously cannot start the schemes all together, finish all of them this year and pay for them.

We are getting a little bit of the truth now by degrees.

The Deputy has got so much of it that he does not understand it.

We understand housebuilding is slowly drawing to a close. We know what happened in Westmeath.

And it happened before in Westmeath.

Would the Minister be good enough to give me a copy of the letter allocating these moneys to the Clonmel Corporation?

To the Clonmel Corporation?

To myself.

Oh, surely.