asked the Minister for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to prevent people who have availed of Government grants and local authority loans to build new houses, from letting these houses at exorbitant rents.
Written Answers. - Letting of Houses.
308.
It is a condition of payment of a local authority house purchase loan that the borrower shall use the house as his normal place of residence unless the housing authority consent to his residing elsewhere, either indefinitely or for a specified period. Where this condition is not complied with, authorities have power under section 39 (4) of the Housing Act, 1966, to recover possession of the house. The initiation of such a process is, however, entirely a matter for the local authority concerned and one in which I have no direct function.
I have no proposals to introduce similar legislation in regard to the payment of housing grants.