asked the Minister for the Environment the number of local authority dwellings completed in the first nine months of each of the years 1978, 1979 and 1980.

The numbers of local authority houses completed in the first nine months of the years 1978, 1979, and 1980 were 3,954, 3,496 and 3,265 respectively.

Is the Minister aware that this decline in the building of houses coincides with an increased demand on the part of young couples for housing? Would he agree further that, as a result of the records of the three years the Minister has just given the House, there has been a substantial worsening of the housing situation of young people?

I do not accept that there has been a substantial worsening. As a matter of fact our target of 6,000 completions was reached in each of those years. If one takes nine months of the early part of the year there can be a number of starts and completions can be rather slow but when one comes to the end of the year one is well on target.

(Cavan-Monaghan): Does the Minister deny that there were fewer local authority houses built in 1979 than in 1978 and fewer built in 1980 than in 1979?

I have already said that 6,000 was the target and 6,000 completions were achieved.

(Cavan-Monaghan): Never mind about the target. I am asking was there a decline in building local authority houses in each of the last couple of years?

What are the reasons for the decline in these figures in those three years?

The reason is that Fianna Fáil think we are building too many local authority houses in relation to the total number of houses being built.

There is no truth whatsoever in that. If the Deputies will look at the allocations——

The Minister has, on the basis of the figures he read for the first nine months of three successive years, clearly indicated that there was a decline. Has the Minister any reason or explanation why that has occurred?

The decline related to nine months in relation to the completions but taking the full 12 months there was not a decline. There can be various reasons and weather plays a very important part.

What was the figure for the 12 months of 1980? The Minister has made a statement in this House and I want to verify the truth of it. What was the figure for 1980?

Next question.

He ran away from that too. He knows the figures do not exist. He is just chancing his arm.