asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state the reason for the delay in sanctioning the purchase of the old vocational school at Westport, County Mayo, by Westport Urban Council.

There has been no undue delay in dealing with this proposal. It was deemed necessary to have detailed inspections of the structural condition of the building carried out by the technical officers of my Department and by an independent architect appointed by Westport Urban District Council. The reports of these inspections are at present under examination in my Department, and I expect to be in a position to give a decision on the proposal in the near future.