asked the Minister for the Environment if, with reference to pre-1973 tenant purchasers who qualify for the one-quarter remission of the repayment period, he will reconsider his decision to disallow the remission in the event of the tenant purchaser clearing the outstanding balance prior to the new expiry date.

25.

asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the commitment given by the Taoiseach as reported in the local press (details supplied) in relation to a cash refund to local authority tenants who purchased houses outright prior to 1973; and the action he proposes to take in the matter.

26.

asked the Minister for the Environment if it is proposed to refund to pre-1973 tenant purchasers, who purchased for cash, the difference between the price they paid, and the subsequently lower price for similar houses.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 24, 25 and 26 together. Certain tenant purchasers of local authority houses who purchased their houses outright under pre-July 1973 schemes now qualify for a cash refund to compensate them for the higher price they had to pay, as compared with the July 1973 scheme. The refund will be payable by the local authority on the following basis:

(1) Where the price paid under the pre-July 1973 scheme was higher than that payable under the July 1973 scheme, the tenant purchaser will be refunded one quarter of the difference between the pre-July 1973 price and what he would have paid under the July 1973 scheme.

(2) The concession will not apply where the house was resold by the tenant purchaser before 1 March 1978.

In addition, where a tenant purchaser is already entitled to a reduction in the repayment period by virtue of a higher price paid under a pre-July 1973 scheme, the benefit of the reduction in the repayment period will also apply where the amount outstanding is redeemed in full as and from 1 March 1978.

Will the Minister tell us when he first made that announcement?

Which announcement? There was more than one.

The announcement that the Minister had changed his mind on the subject.

I made the announcement some months ago.

Why did the Minister not inform the local authorities how they were to implement the scheme?

As far as I know they have been informed, but in view of what the Deputy has said I will check on it.

I received a reply from Dublin Corporation some weeks ago to the effect that the only information they had was from a press release.

As far as I am aware——

Should the Minister not be aware of what is happening in the Department?

As far as I am aware they have been informed.

Does the Minister know what is going on in his Department?

I certainly do.

The cash refund is to be one quarter of the difference between the pre-1973 and post-1973 schemes. That does not conform with the details supplied by the Minister to me.

One quarter of the difference is what is being made available.

That does not remove the difference between the two schemes.

There was no commitment made by me——

What about the Taoiseach's promise?

——or by the Taoiseach. I checked this out before I made the announcement.