asked the Minister for Local Government if he will introduce proposals for amending legislation making water and sanitation grants available to those who provide such facilities in their houses where such houses are situated within an urban area and where neither piped water nor sewerage is available.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sanitary Scheme Grants.
Under Section 7 of the Housing (Amendment) Act, 1952, grants are payable towards the cost of providing a private water supply and sewerage facilities in houses situate in areas where no public piped water supply or sewerage system has been provided or is being provided. The fact that a house is situate within the boundary of an urban district does not, of itself, disqualify it from a grant and applications for grants in respect of such houses may be considered on their merits. There is, therefore, no necessity for amending legislation.
Is the Minister aware that, in the outskirts of an urban area where water supply may be available but sewerage is not, the grants are not payable under Section 7 of the 1952 Housing Act? Would he consider proposals, where one or other service is not available within an urban area, to make the grants available to persons trying to improve their houses?
The normal practice is that water must precede sewerage. I have no idea of the urban area which the Deputy has in mind, but if water has been introduced recently the assumption is that sewerage will follow and in that case there will be no need for a grant. However, if it can be shown that sewerage is not likely to follow—say, inside a period of three years—then application from such an individual could be considered.
Is the Minister aware that there are certain areas in the town of Castlebar where the county manager has certified to his Department that sewerage will not be available for a period of at least seven years and that grants have been refused? Do I gather from the reply that applicants turned down in the past in those areas may stand a chance of getting a grant?
There is no legal obstacle to being considered if the merits of the case warrant it.