asked the Minister for the Environment if he will arrange adequate publicity to notify all applicants for house improvement grants of the regulation he has introduced whereby such grants will not be paid unless the work is completed by 1 October 1980.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Housing Grants.
23.
Adequate publicity has already been given to the requirements that a grant for house improvement works, including works to reduce dependence on oil, will be paid only where the approved work has been completed and a request for payment has been received in my Department before 1 October 1980.
However, I intend to arrange further publicity of these requirements later in the year.
When does the Minister propose to arrange for further publicity?
I have not yet decided on a date. Advertisements appeared in the newspapers two months ago outlining the position. As I stated in my reply, the work must be completed before 1 October and the applicants were notified accordingly by my Department.
Will the Minister accept that there would be no point in closing the stable after the horse had gone, that if the work cannot be completed it would not be of any advantage to people to be reminded of this condition? Would the Minister undertake to send a circular letter to all those who have been approved for reconstruction grants reminding them of the situation?
About 40,000 applicants were notified on 12 February by circular letter. Some of the applicants may have applied last year and therefore would have their applications processed in the usual way. The Deputy need not have any worries.
24.
asked the Minister for the Environment the number of applications for home improvement grants in County Galway on 1 January 1980; the number approved, and the number of grants paid in each month since December 1978.
Statistics are not available of the number of live applications for house improvement grants on hands at 1 January 1980. The reply to the further parts of the question is in the form of a tabular statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, it is proposed to circulate with the Official Report:
|
Month |
Number of grants Approved |
Number of grants Paid |
|
December 1978 |
121 |
171 |
|
January 1979 |
131 |
59 |
|
February |
100 |
134 |
|
March |
181 |
132 |
|
April |
92 |
88 |
|
May |
154 |
109 |
|
June |
73 |
59 |
|
July |
126 |
43 |
|
August |
76 |
54 |
|
September |
67 |
60 |
|
October |
71 |
100 |
|
November |
127 |
212 |
|
December |
125 |
180 |
Note: House improvement grants include solid-fuel and private water and sewerage installations.
Can the Minister indicate if all those persons who applied in January 1980 will be notified before 1 October 1980 as to whether they will be approved for the payment of such grants?
Between 21 January and 1 February 1980, 40,000 were notified. We had notices in the newspapers and we intend to publish another notice. We are still looking into the matter to see what can be done. I replied to this in great detail when I dealt with the question by Deputy O'Keeffe.
This is a different matter. I am asking whether all those who applied will be notified before 1 October whether their grants will be approved. It will be difficult for people to have the work completed if the Minister has not notified them in time that their grant applications will be approved.
They were informed that they must have the work completed by 1 October.
I am afraid the Minister does not appreciate what I am asking.
I fully understand—I have a grasp of what the Deputy was talking about.
I have not got a grasp of what the Minister is saying. I am asking about people who may not engage in improvement work without an indication that the grant will be forthcoming because the grant is a big proportion of the cost.
The inspectors have to call and see if the work is completed and is of a standard necessary to qualify.
Those 40,000 applicants will be left in limbo.
They will not. When the Deputy cut them off they were left in limbo and in hell as well.
Question No. 25 for written reply.
26.
asked the Minister for the Environment the average delay between application for a housing grant and the issuing of payment.
In view of the huge number of applications on hands in my Department the different types of grants and the many administrative and technical stages that arise in processing them, it is not practicable to calculate the average period between receipt of an application and payment of a grant.
27.
andMr. Donnellan asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the delay in dealing with applications for new housing grants, home improvement grants and heating grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
28.
asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the recent delay in arranging final inspection in the case of applications for (i) new house, (ii) improvement and (iii) home heating grants with consequent delay in the issue of approval and payment.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 28 together.
The unprecedented number of applications for house improvement and solid fuel grants received subsequent to the announcement on 21 January 1980 of the termination of these grants created an abnormal work-load in addition to the very large number of new house, solid fuel and house improvement applications already being processed at that time. The acknowledgement, recording, indexing and filing of these new applications resulted in delays in the processing of all applications, including the making of payments.
Payments of grants are made after inspection has established that work has been satisfactorily completed and payment is in order. Every effort is being made to speed up inspections but in view of the number of applications on hands, some delay in the inspection of work and payment of grants is unavoidable.
We accept there is bound to be a certain amount of delay but we were anxious to know the extent of the delay and the consequent stress on many applicants who were forced to go to the banks for bridging loans at very high interest rates. Will the Minister undertake to ensure that these grants will be paid forthwith, or is it the position that there is no money in the Department to pay them?
Two hundred inspections take place every week. There is plenty of money in my Department to pay these grants—there is no problem there.
Were you not to give some money to Deputy Wilson yesterday?
Deputy Wilson, the Minister for Education, is well able to look after himself.
Is there an obligation on the inspectors to return a file within a specific length of time?
I have asked the inspectors to return them as soon as possible. There should not be any undue delays.
That is not very satisfactory. Is the Minister aware that when Deputies or public representatives make inquiries about grants they are told by the Department that the file in question is with the inspector and in many instances the file seems to remain with him for a long time? Have the Department any redress in a case like this?
In some cases there is delay and that is mainly due to the fact that when the inspector calls there is nobody in the house. I have asked that, where requested, the inspector will send a card to the owner of the house stating that he will inspect the house on a certain date.
Is that normal procedure at the moment?
In some cases yes, and in other cases it is not.
It appears the Minister is running a very inefficient Department.
It is not necessary to send a card in all cases but where it is requested there is no problem.
Is it standard procedure?
No, and it never was standard procedure.
It should be.
Will the Minister explain the reason for the delay in payment between the date of inspection and the date of receipt of the grant? Is he not aware that sometimes many months elapse between the date of inspection and when the house is passed for payment and the actual date of receipt of the cheque?
Sometimes the inspector has to report that some work is not completed and we wait for notification from the applicant telling us the work it done. It is a procedural matter.
I am talking about the time that elapses between the date the house is passed for payment and the actual date of payment. Why is there a delay in such instances?
I am not aware that that is the position.
The time span can run into months.
I am aware that there may be a delay when the work is not completed to the satisfaction of the Department. Frequently the matter may have to be given to the supervisory inspector to deal with the case.
Will the Minister state what time-span he suggests should exist between the date of inspection and issue of the cheque?
I have no idea. It depends on many things, as the Deputy well knows.
The Minister said he was processing 2,000 applications per week and that there were 40,000 applications. That would mean five months before every case is processed. Is the Minister satisfied with that?
Yes.
That means some of the applications will not be processed until June and, if the job is not satisfactory, how can all of them be completed by 1 October?
I am happy that the rate of progress is quite satisfactory.
What does the Minister consider a reasonable delay between inspection and payment?
I cannot say. As I have said already, it depends on a number of things.
If the Minister finds as we approach September that some applications have not been dealt with, will he consider extending the time?
I have not looked into that yet. It does not arise at the moment.
The Minister must accept that it is a reasonable request. Will he give some assurance to the House about this matter?
I will review the position as we go along.
Will the Minister explain to the House the reason for delay in payment of a grant after a house has been inspected finally and after the inspector has recommended payment?
In some cases there is a delay of only one month.
It takes a month to post a cheque?
With the permission of the Chair I wish to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of Question No. 21 on today's Order Paper.
29.
asked the Minister for the Environment when payment of a new house grant will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The grant in this case will be paid very shortly.
Will the Minister tell the House what is meant by "very shortly"?
An application for the £1,000 grant was received on 10 March 1979, the grant was allocated on 20 September 1979 and payment was claimed on 4 March 1980. I would point out that there was an inspection carried out. Now we are going to pay the grant but it appears the Deputy is not happy. What does he want?
I did not hear what the Minister said. Will he repeat it?
The Chair is not responsible for that.
I am entitled to hear what the Minister said.
If Deputies kept quiet the Deputy might hear.
The Chair should do its duty and keep them quiet. I am asking the Chair to request the Minister to repeat what he said.
Order. I am calling Question No. 30.
I said that payment of the grant was claimed on 4 March 1980. The house was inspected and passed for payment on 16 May and the cheque is being issued. What more does the Deputy want?
Is the Minister aware that this question and also Questions Nos. 33 to 41 arise out of the fact that the Department is being run very inefficiently and, as a result, Deputies like myself and even Fianna Fáil Deputies, have to put down parliamentary question to get answers from the Minister——
I want to tell the Deputy that I will answer all questions.
Question No. 30 for written reply.
31.
asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the delay in the payment of a reconstruction grant outstanding for almost three years to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
I would refer the Deputy to the reply of 13 December 1979 to Question No. 416. An application form was subsequently issued to the applicant for completion, but was not returned to my Department. However, as a result of recent representations from the Deputy an inspection is being arranged, in the course of which the applicant will be asked to complete a further application form.
Is the Minister aware that the applicant sent in a completed application form three years ago and that when I inquired about the matter three months ago I was told there had been no such application? Does the Minister know I sent a photocopy of the original acknowledgement from the Department which was dated three years ago?
Three application forms were sent out to the applicant. I cannot account for what happened three years ago. The National Coalition were in office then.
The application was sent in during the term of office of the Deputy's party.
What about the intervening three years? Fianna Fáil take three years to issue a cheque. Will there be money in the bank to meet it?
There will be more money there than when the Deputy's party were in office.
32.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he will give the following information in relation to an application for a reconstruction grant by a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny, (i) the date on which the file was issued to the inspector for final inspection, (ii) the date inspection will be carried out; and (iii) the date payment will issue.
The file in this case went for final inspection of the reconstruction work on the 21 May 1980. The inspection will be carried out as soon as possible. If work is found to be satisfactorily completed, arrangements will then be made for payment of the grant.
Will the Minister state when the Department expect to get the file back in this case?
It only went out on 21 May. I can assure the Deputy there will be no undue delay.