My questions were on the Order Paper months ago and the Minister probably took the hint and went to Belfast. When in that city did he talk to the Minister responsible about the housing programmes on which they have embarked in the North? These involve supplementary grants and loans for repairing existing houses.

We had a wide-ranging discussion on the whole question of housing. The Minister and his officials expressed considerable interest in our mortgage subsidy scheme and I was anxious to get the benefit of their experience in regard to rent tribunal structures which we will be introducing here. The whole housing area was covered, but the Deputy will accept that at a meeting lasting three or four hours it was not possible to cover every detail.

While I acknowledge that it is very important to talk about grandiose schemes such as a Newry-Rosslare road——

A question, please.

——and the cross-Border communications study, a more mundane aspect——

Will you ask a question?

Would the Minister not agree that grants are available to people living north of the Border which are not available to their relatives on this side of the Border? The grants available in the North are far more generous than they are here and the assistance given towards the repair of existing houses and the building of new houses is such that it is quite embarrassing for Border Deputies to answer questions from constituents on this matter. Were these matters discussed with the Minister's counterpart in the North and, if so, what explanation did the Minister give regarding the non-availability of grants here?

I am surprised to hear the Deputy talk about embarrassment. He will be aware that I recently extended the whole reconstruction grants scheme. The Minister and his officials in the North were very interested in the incentive factor in our mortgage subsidy scheme introduced by me in April 1981. I do not accept the other points made by the Deputy.

Deputy Markey.

The point I am making——

I have called Deputy Markey.