asked the Minister for Local Government if he will request local authorities, where a housing points allocation system is in operation, that they should inform housing applicants of their points when requested by them; and if he is aware that this is the accepted practice of housing authorities in Britain and Northern Ireland.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Housing Points Allocation System.
49.
I would refer the Deputy to my reply to his Question No. 45 of the 11th November, 1970, on this subject.
Surely the Parliamentary Secretary will agree that a reply of this kind is not good enough? The Parliamentary Secretary must be aware that many local authorities in the Republic have not introduced a points allocation system; where they have, they do not tell the applicants the points they have obtained. The housing points allocation system is operated in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. We criticise Northern Ireland, but surely we could at least introduce this elementary system of information to housing applicants regarding their place on the housing list.
Local authorities are quite free to draw up a priority scheme for the allocation of houses, allocating points to each applicants. As the Deputy has pointed out it is done in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Local authorities here have a points system and they can adopt it if they wish. However, we must remember that the allocation of points is based on a number of factors. Conditions change, for instance, the birth of a child can alter a family's circumstances. I do not know why all local authorities do not have a points system in operation but I imagine one of the reasons is that it can take up a lot of time, that it needs frequent revision and that after the lapse of a short time the circumstances of people who have been allocated points can change. While it is desirable to have this system, it is rather tedious to maintain it in operation.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that unfortunately the vast majority of housing authorities in the Republic do not have a points system? They have, in fact, rather arbitrary subjective systems of allocation. Would he not agree that where they have a points system, the housing officers of the overwhelming majority of such authorities will not tell the applicants how many points they have, with the result that housing applicants have a profound suspicion of the democratic nature of the points system which, of itself——
We cannot debate this matter. Will the Parliamentary Secretary answer Question No. 50?
In reply to the last supplementary by the Deputy I want to make it clear that local authorities have a system which, in some cases, may be much better than a points system.
It is extremely difficult to have a points system that satisfies everyone.
It is an impossible system to work.