asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state the date on which an application was received for a State grant from persons (names supplied); the date of inspection by an officer of his Department; if he will arrange for the immediate payment of the standard grant pending consideration of the higher grant payable under section 16 (2) (b) of the Housing Act, 1966; and if he is aware that delay in the payment of the State grant prevents the local authority from paying the supplementary grant.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Housing Grant Applications.
123.
The application forms referred to were received in my Department from the Dublin County Council on 19th November, 1970 and 3rd December, 1971 respectively. The initial inspections of new houses in County Dublin are made by officers of Dublin County Council acting on behalf of my Department. Inspections are not carried out by officers of my Department until final payment certificates have been issued by the county council. As such certificates have not been issued in these cases, the houses have not yet been inspected by an officer of my Department. The standard rate of grant has been allocated to each of these applicants and further inspections with a view to payment of this standard rate are now being carried out by inspectors of Dublin County Council. In the meantime the applications will be considered for the higher rate of grant under section 16 (2) (b) of the Housing Act, 1966. I am aware that the supplementary grant may not be paid until after the State grant has been paid.
The Parliamentary Secretary has told us that it is not the Department who are responsible for the delay but Dublin County Council. In view of that, would he arrange to have a communication sent to the Council pointing out that it is unreasonable that an application over 12 months under consideration should not have been dealt with.
We have been in touch with Dublin County Council about the particular matter the Deputy has mentioned.
What have they said? Have they given any reason or have they said that they will have it ready soon?
The County Council confirmed by telephone on 3rd December, 1971 that they had considerable difficulty in dealing with this applicant. Replies to correspondence were not received; documents requested were not supplied; notwithstanding repeated requests a house plan was never supplied to the County Council office dealing with the grant application; and it was necessary to have a photostat of the plan submitted with his loan application made in the Council office to enable his grant application to be dealt with. He broke all the rules of the game.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that that is a very lame excuse on the part of Dublin County Council, in view of the fact that it was his Department who required the plans in the first case, and they have got the plans, and if they did not send them to Dublin County Council, they made a mistake. In the first place, his Department should have given the relevant documents if Dublin County Council were to examine it.
Are you trying to blame me?
Not you, because obviously you have proved to me that it was your Department who did not send the plan on.
No, I have not. There was no plan to be sent on.
The application originally made to the Department of Local Government contained all the relevant documents, and if the notification was sent to Dublin County Council without that plan, definitely the Department were at fault. In addition, the application for supplementary grant made to Dublin County Council for permission to build and for a loan contained plans. How many darn plans do they want?
A plan is required for a grant application as well as for a loan application.
You had that one, and if you are finished with it perhaps you would send it up to the county council.
I do not agree with that statement.
I am merely making a factual statement.