asked the Minister for the Environment if he advised Kerry County Council that Sneem housing scheme should be a priority when he made housing allocations to County Kerry for 1978.

: The local authority housing capital allocation which I made to Kerry County Council in February last to meet existing commitments on its construction programme in 1978 included a sum which was estimated by my Department to be sufficient to meet expenditure in 1978 on the Sneem housing scheme. It is not the practice of my Department, when notifying allocations, to specify individual approved works which the allocations are intended to finance. It is left to the housing authorities themselves to decide the priorities to be accorded to approved works, and the timing of the commencement of such works, within the approved overall expenditure limit.

: It is clear to everybody, arising out of the Minister's reply, that the Department did not tell Kerry County Council to go ahead with the housing scheme, as the Minister of State notified the council.

: Unlike special grants for roads we do not designate, as I made clear yesterday——

: The Minister has only confirmed what I already knew and I would advise his Minister of State not to try that bluff any more.