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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 5 Feb 1953

Vol. 136 No. 2

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Kildare Housing and Reconstruction Grants.

asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state (a) the date on which application was made by a resident of Alesty, Bishops-court, Kill, County Kildare, for a reconstruction grant; (b) the date on which approval was given; (c) the date on which the work was completed and notification thereof given and (d) why the grant has not been paid, and further, if he will state what steps he proposes to take to obviate the present unreasonable delay in the payment of new housing and reconstruction grants in County Kildare.

The application to which I assume the Deputy's question relates was made to the Kildare County Council on the 31st May, 1952. The Department was not aware of the existence of this application until the file was received on the 10th December, 1952. The estimate signed by the applicant reached the Department on the 24th January, 1953. No application has been received in the Department for payment of the grant.

While I have no evidence of any large volume of arrears at present in County Kildare, occasions arise in almost every county where the number of applications awaiting inspection mount up, and where this happens we assign a temporary inspector to assist in clearing up the work.

Has the Minister any information as to the date on which the inspector received that case and the date on which he dealt with it?

I have no information because of the practice that was followed in the past. My predecessor made a change under which the applicant sent his application to the county council office. I have brought that practice to an end because it left my Department in the position that for many months we were entirely unaware of the existence of certain applications.

Could the Minister not ascertain the facts? My information is—and I want to know if the Minister's is the same—that delays in regard to Kildare cases are arising, not in the Custom House, but with the appointed officer concerned.

That has come to an end because all present applications are coming direct to my Department. It would be of little value now to establish whether the application was dealt with between the date on which it was made and on the date on which it reached my Department, which was late in December.

It was sent to the appointed officer long before that.

It could be for all I know.

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