asked the Minister for the Environment (1) the amount outstanding in respect of the payment of heating grants and (2) the number of persons involved in: (a) the Borough of Drogheda; (b) the urban district of Dundalk and (c) the rest of County Louth.

35.

asked the Minister for the Environment the amount of reconstruction grants outstanding and the number of applicants involved in (a) the Borough of Drogheda, (b) the urban district of Dundalk and (c) the rest of County Louth.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 35 together. The information requested is not available from the Department's records nor would it be possible to compile it from the details supplied with applications.

Is the Minister telling me that the Department have no record of the applications made for a particular county under those headings in view of the fact that each county is dealt with separately?

It is all taken together.

The Deputy has asked for the various borough areas and county areas. We have not got that information. We have the information in regard to County Louth. But to get the information the Deputy is looking for would delay the housing grants and hold up inspections and payments and it would not be advisable to do that.

Could the Minister let me have the total for the country if he cannot give me the figures that I am looking for? Would he say what he means by saying that payments and inspections would be held up in view of the fact that, although inspections are being carried out, practically no payments are being made, again because there is no money available?

I have not got the total amount for County Louth. But I can assure the Deputy that up to 30 April over 25,000 grants were paid by my Department, which is a record. In all the years you were in office you were not able to pay that. I paid it in four months.

In view of the fact that 42,000 people were waiting for payment I am not surprised. Will the Minister let me have even by letter the figure for the county if he cannot give me the breakdown I have asked for?

If I can, I will.

I am prepared to accept that if the Minister has not the total he cannot give it to me, but I am not prepared to accept that the Minister could not give it to me if he wanted to check it up. I would be grateful if the Minister would give me the total for the county under the headings. The Minister could sent it to me at his convenience as he will have plenty of time during the next few weeks.

36.