Does the Minister realise that there are 1,181 local authority houses in Dublin city and 1,500 flats all without bathrooms? These houses and flats are located in areas of the city where the infrastructure of schools, shops, churches and bus services are available, and does the Minister not think it is desirable that these houses should be updated in such a way that the communities will continue to live in these areas, accordingly using the infrastructures provided at great expense by the State? Would the Minister encourage Dublin Corporation to do everything possible in this regard to provide these facilities?

I have indicated that I think this is a problem that needs to be addressed urgently. I indicated a considerable time ago to Dublin Corporation my desire to see specific proposals for a programme to upgrade the corporation's older housing stock, particularly in the inner city area, but no proposals of a specific nature have been put to the Department. I would be most anxious to hear from the local authority about specific proposals to provide what I regard as basic facilities in the corporation's existing stock, bearing in mind the new units in the city that are unoccupied, some of them not even let for the first time.