asked the Minister for Local Government the county councils and other local authorities which pay supplementary housing grants for the erection of new houses, for the reconstruction, repair and improvement of houses and for the installation of water and sewerage facilities in the Republic; the amounts paid by each such authority; whether the grant is paid in full pound for pound of the local government grant or in part; and, if in part, the amount of such part.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Supplementary Housing Grants.
21.
Up to date information on supplementary grant schemes operated by housing authorities is at present being complied by the Department, following the coming into operation of the Housing Act, 1966. If the Deputy repeats the question in about three weeks time, I shall be glad to furnish him with the information he requires.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary consider circularising that generally to Deputies?
I suppose so.
22.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the serious delay in the payment of supplementary housing grants in Mayo; and what steps he proposes to take to remedy this situation.
I am aware that certain delays have occurred in the payment by Mayo County Council of supplementary grants.
I understand that the actual payments made by the council from 1st April, 1966 to 31st January, 1967, amounted to £63,310 and that moneys amounting to £5,790 were then available. Further loans totalling £31,000 have been approved by my Department. The total provision should enable the council to meet most of the payments maturing during the present financial year.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary not appreciate that many of the applicants have been waiting for the past 12 months and are still waiting to be paid, and councillors are on the telephone to the county council regularly to try to get the money for them and they tell us that they are not in a position to pay? Will the Parliamentary Secretary not elaborate and tell the truth?
As I said, recently we gave them a further £31,000.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary say when are they to get the £31,000? As far as I could learn, £15,000 is the amount of money they have to use at present and £49,000 will be the sum necessary to cover all the grants already cleared to the 31st March, 1967.
I did indicate that the amount of money they have will meet most of the payments; I did not say——
I can assure the Parliamentary Secretary it will not cover anything like one-third.