asked the Minister for the Environment if, in view of the substantial increase in the legal size of Waterford city, he will now provide extra moneys to the corporation for the provision of loans for house purchases and house improvements by private citizens; if he will make a statement on the present moneys allocated to the corporation for such purposes; if he is aware of the large volume of applicants for such loans who cannot be dealt with at present due to a shortage of funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

38.

asked the Minister for the Environment if he has decided to make a second or further allocation to (i) Waterford Corporation and (ii) Waterford County Council to allow them to meet their applications for house improvement loans; if so, the amount of this new allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

39.

asked the Minister for the Environment if he has decided to make a second or further allocation to (i) Waterford Corporation and (ii) Waterford County Council to meet applications for house construction and house purchase loans; if so, the amount being provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

40.

asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware of the large volume of applications for house construction, house purchase and house improvement loans in the city and county of Waterford and of the insufficient funds made available to meet the demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

With the permission, of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40 together.

I am very much aware that there was a huge increase in the demand for loans under the local authority house purchase and improvement loans schemes not only in Waterford city and county but in all local authority areas. Factors contributing to this increase in demand included the Government's decision to substantially increase the loan and income limits last February and also the quick response of local authorities to the request from my Department that they pay loans in instalments to overcome problems for applicants connected with bridging loan facilities.

This has resulted in considerable pressure on the available funds, although an unprecedently high allocation had been made available in the Public Capital Programme for this purpose. The matter is being kept under review and, furthermore, to ensure fair allocation of all available resources the requirements of each authority have since the end of June been assessed monthly and allocations made on that basis to the 41 local authorities operating the schemes.

An initial capital allocation of £700,000 was made to Waterford County Council in respect of the six month period ended on 30 June last. This allocation was based on the estimated requirement of the council as supplied to the Department in October 1979 and on trends in payments by the council during 1979. Since July 1 a total of £519,000 has issued to the council from the Local Loans Fund. A further instalment of £100,000 will issue from the fund on November 28 1980 and an additional instalment of £44,000 will be made available in December to bring to £1,173,000 the amount available from the fund for 1980. In addition, the council had available from its own internal capital resources a sum of £200,000 for expenditure on the loan schemes.

In so far as Waterford Corporation are concerned, the position is that an initial capital allocation of £300,000 was made in respect of the six month period ended on 30 June last. At 21 November, a total of £516,000 had issued to the corporation from the Local Loans Fund. In addition, the corporation had available at 31 October from their own internal capital resources a sum of £270,000 for expenditure on the loan schemes. An additional instalment will issue to the corporation from the Local Loans Fund at the beginning of December.

I do not have the same length of time in this House as the Minister who has just answered the question, but did the Minister read the questions before he read the answer to this House?

Yes, I had a look at the questions all right.

Would the Minister tell us what all that has to do with the reply to Question No. 35?

If what the Minister says is true, and I accept that it is, could he explain to the House how in the slightest way that reply, for which he accepts full responsibility and for which he is paid, relates to either Question No. 35 or Question No. 36? There is not one mention of single people or rented accommodation or a register of window installers. The Minister's answer is a disgrace.

I endeavoured to point out to the Minister that Question No. 35 relates to the introduction of a scheme of mandatory registration and licencing including qualifications and criteria for companies engaged in the window installation business and the Minister insisted that he was going to answer that in conjunction with four questions about the amount of loan money allocated to Waterford Corporation and Waterford County Council. It was going to be a fair trick. Now can the Minister explain what his reply has to do with the price of butter and Question No. 35? It is not that he was not warned.

I was told that that question had gone for written reply and I read the following one then.

Who told you? The porter in the Department, the fellow who would not let you in?

No.

In relation to Question No. 36, I ask that the matter be raised on the Adjournment because I have not received a reply to the question.

I suggest that Question No. 35 ought to be placed on the Order Paper again tomorrow and perhaps somebody ought to be sent with the reply.

We cannot argue the matter here.

You, Sir, could make a decision on it.

The Ceann Comhairle is not responsible for the Minister's reply.

Who is responsible for taking out questions and cancelling questions and putting in questions? Deputies opposite must make up their minds.

This debate is not in order.

May I raise a point of order?

A point of order, yes.

I am not creating a row about the disallowing of my Private Notice Question, but I am anxious to ascertain the situation where your ruling may be based on incorrect information furnished by the Department.

I cannot allow a discussion on this.

My point of order, and I am being very orderly about it, related to a situation where the question involved the clearing of burnt crude oil from the seabed.

The Deputy is going into the substance of his question. He cannot do that.

I have to refer to it from the point of view of raising the point.

I am sorry, Deputy.

My point of order is on the basis that the question was disallowed because apparently, according to the note I got from the office——

That is not a point of order. The Deputy cannot dispute my ruling here. If he wants to see me about it afterwards, that is all right.

I am not disputing your ruling. I am seeking to raise a point of order as to the situation arising from the fact that your ruling apparently is based on incorrect information from the Department.

The Deputy is endeavouring to ask the question in another way.

I am not trying to ask the question.

The Deputy is making one great effort to do it.

I am seeking to ascertain the situation if your ruling is based on incorrect information from the Department.

My ruling cannot be discussed in this manner. It is disorderly to do it.

Apart from the procedure of raising a point of order, which I understood was a normal parliamentary way of investigating——

Provided it is a point of order, but my ruling cannot be questioned here.

I am not questioning your ruling, Sir. If you have ruled my question out of order, that is that. The point of order I want to raise is, if it is based on incorrect information from the Department that the seabed was not being cleared——

We must move on to the Order of Business.

How can I get this point clarified?

The Deputy may discuss it in my office. The remaining question will appear in tomorrow's Order Paper.