asked the Minister for the Environment the number of local authority house starts in the first nine months of 1989.

Approximately 360 new local authority dwellings commenced in the nine months to 30 September 1989.

Does the Minister not agree that that is considerably fewer than the number of house starts projected to start in 1989, which the House was told would be 587 in a Parliamentary Question earlier this year? Does the Minister not accept that this number of house starts is totally inadequate in view of the long waiting lists in almost every local authority and the critical housing situation being faced by many families who cannot get local authority housing, which is putting stress on family life? When will the Minister approve the building of new local authority housing?

I agree that the figure is lower than had been indicated but the figure was not 587. I may have said it was hoped to start about 900 houses, that was the intention and it would have happened only for delays at the tendering process.

What went wrong?

There was a delay in the tendering process.

You control that process.

The delay meant that some houses did not start but I assure the Deputy that certain schemes have now been cleared. They will be started as soon as possible and will be added to what we intend to start next year.

Deputy Gilmore, I had hoped to invite your colleagues Deputies Byrne and Spring to ask a question each. We are not going to have a debate on the building of local authority houses. The Deputy has already got the information for which he asked.