asked the Minister for Local Government the total allocation to local authorities for (a) SDA loans and (b) SDA grants in 1976; and the actual amount expended in each case in the same period.

Separate allocations for loans and supplementary grants are not made to local authorities. The capital allocation provided for both loans and grants in 1976 was £46 million. Final figures are not yet available as to the actual amount expended, but it will be of the order of £31.5 million.

The fall in expenditure on local authority house purchase loans must, of course, be seen in the context of the total amount of mortgage finance available from all sources. The total figure is likely to be of the order of £140 million for 1976, compared with £116 million in 1975 and £89 million in 1974.

Would the Minister agree that the SDA loans have been the backbone of the private sector of the house building industry and the Government have deliberately wrecked that scheme and those seeking homes for themselves and the building workers are the sufferers?

No. I agree that for a period the SDA loans were doing a great deal of good. As was pointed out in reply to the previous question and supplementaries, the previous Government did not live up to what they said they would do as far back as 1969 with the result that people were forced on to the building societies. We now find the building societies have been providing enough money to deal with this particular problem in conjunction with some SDA loans and Deputy Faulkner would be the first to admit that there is no onus on any Government to provide money to build houses which is needed for other important things. Deputy Faulkner should remember that. The most recent scheme introduced by the Government will, in fact, help a great many people who were ignored up to now.

The Minister is very well aware that when Fianna Fáil were in office the level of the loan and the qualifying income limit entitled very large numbers to benefit from SDA loans, people who cannot benefit now. Is the Minister aware that by refusing to increase the loan level above £4,500 and continuing qualifying the income limit at £45 a week numerous young people willing and anxious to build their own houses are now forced on to the local authority housing list and is he also aware that very large numbers of these young people are unable to get loans from the building societies because of the conditions laid down?

Deputy Faulkner should be aware of the fact that the people he is talking about will be able to avail of the new scheme which has been introduced by the Government.

They will get £7,500 from the local authority. He also should remember that we have just spent five minutes discussing the case of over 1,000 people in 1969 who were qualified for SDA loans but could not get them because the money was not made available by the then Government to corporations and county councils. I do not know why he should start talking about something now which he himself or his Government were responsible for in a big way when they were in office.

Is the Minister aware that the scheme he refers to has not yet got off the ground, that single people and young married couples will not be eligible and that a family must be a full year on the housing list to qualify, and might I point out to him——

This is Question Time.

Is the Minister aware that numerous young people for these reasons have been thrown on to the local authority list, that the number of local authority houses built over the first 11 months of last year was over 1,500 fewer than were built in the previous year, and how does he expect these young people to be housed?

I do not mind carrying on debate or discussion with someone consistent——

This is Question Time. There is no room for debate now.

I cannot understand how Deputy Faulkner can talk about people being thrown on the local authority list and then tell me that people who would have qualified for the scheme are either single or young married people with no family. Would he try to collect his thoughts before he starts asking supplementary questions, because that is a very confusing supplementary question?

Question No. 25 please.

I want to ask one simple question.

Sorry, I have called the next question.

I have not asked any question.

On a point of order, on Question No. 21 there were about ten supplementaries asked by Deputy Luke Belton. There have been only three supplementaries asked on Question No. 24.

The Deputy has raised a series of questions. I have given him a lot of latitude. Question No. 25.

This is a very important question and I feel that——

Deputy Faulkner, the Chair will be obeyed.

I feel the Ceann Comhairle should not be attempting to protect the Minister.

That is an unfair allegation.

I require no protection from the Ceann Comhairle or anybody else from what is over there.

The Deputy will withdraw that reflection upon the Chair. If he does not withdraw the reflection he will withdraw from the House.

I asked one civil question.

Order.

I am sure the Minister will answer me.

If the Deputy does not withdraw the reflection on the Chair——

If the Ceann Comhairle now states that what I said was a reflection——

It was a serious reflection and I deeply resent it.

I certainly do not wish to cast a reflection on the Chair. If he regards it as a reflection I will withdraw it. I did not intend it as a reflection.