andMr. Moore asked the Minister for Local Government the number of local authority dwellings completed in January, 1976 and January, 1977; and the percentage change.

A total of 580 dwellings was completed in January, 1976 compared with 275 in the corresponding period of 1977, a percentage change of 52.6 per cent. The low completions figure in January, 1977 was largely due to bad weather and water logging of sites but compared favourably with the 245 dwellings completed in January, 1973, when weather conditions generally were much more favourable.

The Minister is never short of excuses.

I am not giving excuses: I am giving an answer.

Would the Minister agree that the reply he has given portrays a very serious situation? Would he say what he proposese to do to reverse that very serious trend, in which there was over 52 per cent fewer houses built in January, 1977 as compared with January, 1976?

It is a considerable increase on the number built in 1972, the last year for which a Fianna Fáil Minister was in charge. If we take that as a basis, we did quite well, particularly in view of the fact that the weather was so bad. I would suggest to Deputy Faulkner that we wait a little longer and we will be able to prove that the houses are still being built.

Irrespective of the weather.

The weather is improving now.

I hope particular notice has been taken of the fact that there was a 52 per cent decrease in the number of houses built in January. Is the Minister further aware that, taking the unemployment figures for mid-December, 1976 and mid-January, 1977, there has been an increase in the number of unemployed building and construction workers of 1,326? Surely in those circumstances and in a situation in which there has been such a dramatic fall in the number of houses built, the Minister at least should indicate to the House what he proposes to do to improve that situation.

The Deputy is again getting his lines crossed. The number of people employed in building local authority houses is higher now than it was 12 months ago. The number has increased steadily over the years. That is because, as Deputy Lynch might say, we are building too many local authority houses. But we are building them. We will build them this year as we did last year and in every year since I took over.

Question No. 24. A final supplementary from Deputy Faulkner.

Perhaps I should remind the Minister that the figure for unemployment amongst building and construction workers is now 25,882. In those circumstances surely the Minister will at least indicate to the House what he proposes to do to reverse the trend. Surely the Minister accepts—and the country will accept—that it is not sufficient to talk about what happened many years ago. The Minister has now been in office for four years.

Not so many, only a little over four years ago Fianna Fáil were building half the number of houses we are building. Deputy Faulkner imagines everybody has a very short memory if he thinks that sort of codology will be accepted by anybody in the country.

The weather was not too hot either.

Question No. 24.

Does the Minister suggest that a fall of 52 per cent in January, 1977 as compared with January, 1976 is codology, as is the fact that there are 13,026 more building and construction workers unemployed in mid-January than there were in mid-December, 1976?

We have had an average of 15,000 more houses being built than were built under Fianna Fáil for 16 years and the Deputy cannot get away from that.

24.