asked the Minister for Lands the number of untenanted houses on hands at present.

(Cavan): I am assuming that the Deputy is referring to habitable dwellinghouses held by the Land Commission and unlet. The number of such dwellinghouses is 242.

Will the Minister agree that it is bad policy to have houses vacant when they could be let temporarily through the local authority?

(Cavan): I thoroughly agree, and it has been my policy since I became Minister to ensure that these houses were got rid of by the Land Commission with the minimum of delay. I have had discussions with the Land Commission in that regard and I am glad to say the rate of disposal of houses has jumped, I might say dramatically, from 26 in 1970 to 50 to date in 1975.

Can the Minister say if in allocating tenants to vacant Land Commission houses it is his policy to allocate a house to a person who already owns a house?

We are moving into a new area now. This is essentially a statistical question.

(Cavan): That seems a very general question. I do not think it would be the policy of the Land Commission to allocate a house to a person who already had a house unless there was some very special reason. I would like to be aware of the circumstances of the case the Deputy cites.

Would the Minister take action?

(Cavan): The Deputy may be aware that it might not be open to the Minister to take action. The acquisition and allocation of land are matters reserved by law to the lay commissioners. The Deputy will appreciate it would not be open to the Minister to intervene or to interfere in any particular case.

Is the Minister aware I made representations in a matter similar to this to his office many months ago where a house was allocated to a member of the Fine Gael Party who already owned a house? He was given one of the Land Commission houses and there were several people in the area who had no houses of their own. That man is today driving his car in Mayo with a Fine Gael poster on it.

(Cavan): I am not aware of the case referred to by the Deputy. If the Deputy will draw my attention to it I will look into it, but I should like to impress on the Deputy that the Minister for Lands is not entitled to intervene in the allocation of land in any particular case. I should like to tell the Deputy further that the Minister does not attempt to do it. I should also like to tell the Deputy that the fact that the gentleman in question happens to be a member of the Fine Gael Party does not disqualify him from getting a house.

He has a house already which he has let at £30 a week.

Order. This is irrelevant.

There are poor people in the area living in bad conditions——

Please, Deputy, please.

(Cavan): I do not intend to shout at the Deputy but the Deputy knows perfectly well the Minister for Lands has no function in regard to this house and if he is attacking the decision in the case he is not attacking the Minister for Lands but the lay commissioners.

The Minister is abdicating all responsibility. There are people outside the gate today——

Order, please. Next question.

The Minister knows well why they are out there——

I have called the next question. I cannot allow this argument to continue.

(Cavan): The Deputy is trying to mislead. He is in that frame of mind at the moment.

Would the Deputy give up his lies? He will find himself outside the gate soon enough.