803 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his plans to give sanction to the building of local authority houses for Louth County Council; the numbers, location and cost of each application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2743/02]

Louth County Council has been allocated 240 housing starts under the multi-annual local authority housing programme for the period 2000 to 2003. The council has submitted a housing programme for 2002 to my Department to construct or acquire 158 houses, details of which are set out in the following table: