asked the Minister for Local Government if, in view of the fact that a reply of 25th February, 1970, suggested that the workload on the inspections of new houses for grant purposes in the counties of Meath and Kildare was substantially above the national average, he will state if he has any proposals to remedy this situation; and if, in particular, he will appoint one extra inspector to cover both these counties.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Meath-Kildare House Inspections.
15.
My reply to Question No. 48 of 25th February last dealt with the position in relation to new houses only.
Apart from new house work, inspectors also deal with applications for reconstruction grants, water and sewerage grants, and grants for group water supply schemes. A balance is maintained between the overall workload in the various areas and the total number of inspectors on duty from time to time. In this context, the workload in Meath and Kildare is not appreciably above the national average.
I am satisfied that additional inspectors are required to deal with the increasing flow of private housing work generally and steps are being taken to recruit them. Consideration will be given to the position in Kildare and Meath, relative to other areas, in assigning additional staff so recruited.
Would the Minister not agree that on occasion people in Meath have had to wait some considerable number of months to have these inspections carried out? This has caused considerable difficulty because their contractors are pressing for payment. Would the Minister not consider increasing the staff?
There has been a slight build-up in the backlog in Meath in recent times and steps are being taken to have it cleared.