asked the Minister for the Environment the reasons for the refusal of a new house grant to a person (details supplied) for a bungalow at Cloonbrackna, Roscommon.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - New House Grant.
3.
This person applied in March 1977 for a new house grant under the income restricted scheme then in operation and was refused a grant because his annual income exceeded £2,350.
Last November he applied for the £1,000 new house grant in respect of the same house but, as work had commenced before 27 May 1977 a grant under the new scheme could not be allowed.
In this case I should like the Minister to know that the applicant's income has dropped——
A question, Deputy, please.
It is important because this man asked me to raise the question in Dáil Éireann because he felt aggrieved at the situation and because Deputy Tully, as Minister at the time, removed the grants and deprived this man of his rights.
The Deputy will have to ask a question.
Is the Minister aware that the applicant's income, when he applied, was down to £1,900 per annum and that he should have been entitled to a grant under the old scheme? I am asking the Minister to have this matter reviewed in his Department to ensure that this man is granted the old grant of £325.
The position is that the person in question is not entitled to the grant under the legislation which applied at the time of his application. An application was received on 7 March 1977 in this case for a new house grant under the scheme then in operation introduced by the former Government on 1 January 1976 which confined such grants to persons eligible, on an income or valuation basis, for supplementary grants from local authorities. In May 1977 the local authority concerned, Roscommon County Council, certified the applicant's income at £2,833 which exceeded the maximum annual income of £2,350 allowable; that was £1,950 plus £400 for each dependant. Last November a £1,000 new house grant application was received for the same house. This was rejected in January 1978 because work had commenced before 27 May 1977. In fact work started in February 1977, and this is not at issue. The applicant may have been misled by some press reports but the position is that work started in February 1977 and he did not qualify under the former scheme on the grounds of eligibility for income purposes.
My applicant is saying that it was unconstitutional of Deputy Tully, the former Minister, to bring about that situation under which this man was deprived of a grant. He is asking that his case be examined by the Department from that point of view; had the Minister a right to deprive him of a grant at the time?
Does not the same thing apply under the present Government?
(Interruptions.)
That was part of the reason the present Opposition were kicked out of office last year.