Vol. 251 No. 5
asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the hardship caused by a recent decision of Dún Laoghaire Corporation to increase by £1 per week the rent of Corporation houses where there are sub-tenants; if his Department have issued any instruction on the matter; and if, in view of the hardship caused by such increase, he will have this matter reconsidered.
95.
asked the Minister for Local Government if there is any statutory regulation or departmental circular indicating that the charge for sub-tenants and/or lodgers in local authority houses on fixed rents shall be £1 per week and that the maximum allowable income of dependents under such schemes shall be £3 per week.
With your permission a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 95 together.
The statutory authority for the charge to which the Deputies refer is section 58 of the Housing Act, 1966 and the Housing Authorities (Loan Charges Contributions and Management) Regulations, 1967. Prior to the making of these regulations, a tenant of a local authority dwelling who kept a sub-tenant was acting illegally and was in danger of having his tenancy terminated. Under Article 6 of the regulations, a tenant may, with the consent of the housing authority, keep a sub-tenant. The consent is necessary in order to ensure proper control and to prevent housing estates provided at such cost from deteriorating into new slums through overcrowding or other abuses.
By circular letter H.5/67 of 14th April, 1967, local authorities were advised to make the consent the subject of an agreement between the authority and the tenant and that the terms of the agreement should provide for the payment by the tenant of a sum in addition to his ordinary rent but it was left to each authority to decide the amount of rent to be charged.
I may add that the arrangement is associated with arrangements under which subsidy at the higher rate may be paid for the rehousing of local authority sub-tenants. Only houses provided for sub-tenants whose sub-tenancies were authorised not less than three years previously by the local authority may normally qualify for this higher rate of subsidy. It is, therefore, in the interest of every sub-tenant who thinks he will, at some time, be seeking a local authority house, to ensure that his occupancy is authorised by the authority.
I understand that Dún Laoghaire Corporation decided recently to regularise the position of sub-tenants of corporation dwellings many of whom are applicants for rehousing, by authorising sub-tenancies where appropriate and to provide in the agreement for the payment by the tenant of £1 per week in addition to the normal rent. I understand further that on reconsideration of the matter the local authority have decided to reduce the charge to 7s 6d a week. Under the scheme the extra charge is not payable where a tenant brings a dependent to live with him provided the dependent's income does not exceed £3 a week. This aspect of the scheme is being further examined by the local authority.
