Vol. 328 No. 17
asked the Minister for the Environment (1) the amount outstanding in respect of the payment of heating grants and (2) the number of persons involved in: (a) the Borough of Drogheda; (b) the urban district of Dundalk and (c) the rest of County Louth.
35.
asked the Minister for the Environment the amount of reconstruction grants outstanding and the number of applicants involved in (a) the Borough of Drogheda, (b) the urban district of Dundalk and (c) the rest of County Louth.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 35 together. The information requested is not available from the Department's records nor would it be possible to compile it from the details supplied with applications.
Is the Minister telling me that the Department have no record of the applications made for a particular county under those headings in view of the fact that each county is dealt with separately?
It is all taken together.
The Deputy has asked for the various borough areas and county areas. We have not got that information. We have the information in regard to County Louth. But to get the information the Deputy is looking for would delay the housing grants and hold up inspections and payments and it would not be advisable to do that.
Could the Minister let me have the total for the country if he cannot give me the figures that I am looking for? Would he say what he means by saying that payments and inspections would be held up in view of the fact that, although inspections are being carried out, practically no payments are being made, again because there is no money available?
I have not got the total amount for County Louth. But I can assure the Deputy that up to 30 April over 25,000 grants were paid by my Department, which is a record. In all the years you were in office you were not able to pay that. I paid it in four months.
In view of the fact that 42,000 people were waiting for payment I am not surprised. Will the Minister let me have even by letter the figure for the county if he cannot give me the breakdown I have asked for?
If I can, I will.
I am prepared to accept that if the Minister has not the total he cannot give it to me, but I am not prepared to accept that the Minister could not give it to me if he wanted to check it up. I would be grateful if the Minister would give me the total for the county under the headings. The Minister could sent it to me at his convenience as he will have plenty of time during the next few weeks.
36.
asked the Minister for the Environment when a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary will receive payment of the balance of a house improvement grant.
The question refers to a solid-fuel grant of £235 paid on 10 October 1980. The grant, which amounted to two-thirds of the approved cost of the eligible works, is the full grant payable.
37.
asked the Minister for the Environment the reason a house improvement grant has not yet been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary.
These grants were paid on 27 April 1981.
38.
asked the Minister for the Environment of a house improve-delay in the payment of a house improvement grant to reduce dependence on oil to a person (detail supplied) in County Tipperary.
This grant was paid on 27 March 1981. Any delay in dealing with this case has been due to the large volume of applications being processed by my Department.
Will the Minister give the date on which this grant was first applied for?
It was 1 February 1980.
That is 14 months earlier.
39.
(Cavan-Monaghan) asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the delay in the payment of a home improvement grant to a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan; and if he will arrange for immediate payment.
Evidence of planning permission was received from the applicant on 15 instant but the Department have not yet been notified that work has been completed. When this is received an inspection will be arranged with a view to payment, if in order.
40.
asked the Minister for the Environment when a final inspection will be carried out for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
This was grant was paid on 16 April 1981.
When was this grant first applied for?
The application was received on 17 November 1980.
That is 18 months earlier.
The Deputy is confused.
It was six months earlier.
41.
asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the delay in the payment of a new house grant to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
On the basis of the information provided, my Department are unable to trace an application for a new house grant from the person named. If the Deputy confirms the name and address under which the application was made, the name of the builder and the location of the new house, I will arrange to have a further investigation carried out.
42.
asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the delay in the payment of a new house grant to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
There has been no delay in this case. The person named was advised by my Department on 9 January 1981 that a grant could not be paid since she was not in occupation of the house as her normal place of residence, as required by Article 11 (1) (a) of the Housing Regulations, 1980.
43.
asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the delay in the payment of a home improvement grant to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
There has been no undue delay in this case. The Department's inspector's report of 3 April 1981 indicates that the reconstruction work was not then complete. The work relating to the installation of water and sewerage services was complete and the grant in respect of same will be paid shortly. Payment of the grant for the reconstruction work cannot be made until a further inspection establishes that it has been satisfactorily completed.
44.
asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the delay in the payment of a new house grant to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
There has been no delay in dealing with this case. The person named made two applications relating to two different houses. The later application has been rejected on the grounds that he had previously purchased a house and a decision in regard to the earlier application will be conveyed to the applicant on receipt of a report from the Department's inspector.
Is the Minister aware that two affidavits went in before December last year in relation to that?
I am, and I am having the last application processed as quickly as possible.
That was six months ago.
There was some confusion because it seems that the person purchased two houses.
But he sent in two affidavits explaining the position. The first one was not clear enough and he sent in a second one last November. When did the applicant first apply for the grant?
An application was received in respect of a house in County Cork in January 1980 but was rejected in February 1980 as the person had already purchased a house in County Limerick which qualified for the £1,000 grant.
Is the Minister aware of the hardship being caused to young people because the promised grant is not being paid out for a year or a year and a half?
We had confusion here where two applications were made and we had to get clarification. Since then we got a sworn affidavit to establish that the applicant complied with the conditions attaching to the grant. A statement from the applicants' employer was only received in the Department on 6 March 1981. There was a lot of correspondence in this case. I will be as helpful as possible.
45.
asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the delay in the payment of a new house grant to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
A new house grant of £325 was paid to the person named on 9 March 1981. His claim for the higher rate of grant cannot be determined until a statement of his income for the relevant year, certified by the local authority, is received. The delay in this case was due to the fact that the original application was mislaid in the Department.
Is the Minister now accepting that files in relation to housing grant applications can be mislaid in his Department?
I admit that there can be human errors but I am not responsible for them.
There certainly have been a number of human errors in that Department. In view of the fact that the Minister is making that admission, will he agree to re-examine the situation in relation to the claims made by a number of people that they lodged applications in the Department before the closing date of the grant scheme and where the Minister now says there is no record and that payment of the grants cannot be entertained?
I answered a question on that some months ago and stated that there were at least 150 of these claims.
46.
asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the delay in the payment of a new house grant to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
This grant has been paid.
47.
asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the delay in the payment of a new house grant to a person (detail supplied) in County Cork.
On the basis of the information provided, my Department are unable to trace an application for a new house grant from the person named. If the Deputy confirms the name and address under which the application was made, the name of the builder and the location of the new house, I will arrange to have a further investigation carried out.
48.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he will arrange to have a new house grant paid to an applicant (details supplied) in County Cork.
The grant has been paid.
49.
asked the Minister for the Environment when a reconstruction grant will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
This grant will be paid when a final inspection confirms that the work has been satisfactorily completed. The inspection will be arranged when the Department receives notification of completion of the work.
50.
asked the Minister for the Environment when a new house grant will be paid to a person (detail supplied) in County Laois.
The house in question is in County Kilkenny. A grant will be paid when an inspection establishes that the house has been satisfactorily completed and that the other conditions applying to the grant scheme have been complied with. The inspection will be carried out as soon as possible.
51.
asked the Minister for the Environment when a reconstruction grant will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The Department were notified in April 1981 that the work had been completed and an inspection will be carried out as soon as possible. The grant will be paid when the inspection confirms that the work has been satisfactorily completed.
52.
asked the Minister for the Environment when a reconstruction grant will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
This grant will be paid shortly.
53.
asked the Minister for the Environment when a £1,000 new house grant will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The grant will be paid when the applicant furnishes a certificate from an Inspector of Taxes as evidence that neither he nor his wife had ever purchased or built a house previously. He was asked on 5 December 1980 to furnish the certificate.
54.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he has received an application from the Donegal County Council to pay a disabled person's housing grant to a person (details supplied); and if, in view of the special circumstances, he will have this matter dealt with as a matter of urgency.
Donegal County Council have received an application for a disabled persons grant from the person named. While the approval of a grant is a matter for the local authority, they have asked for the views of my Department, because of the unusual circumstances. They have been informed that the Department has no objections to the particular proposals.
The remaining questions will appear on next Tuesday's Order Paper.
In the event of the Dáil being dissolved between now and next Tuesday what happens to the remaining questions on the Order Paper? Are they answered by way of written reply?
They disappear. Of course, we cannot anticipate the dissolution of the Dáil.
May I ask for all the questions in my name to be answered by way of written reply today?
Certainly.
I would also ask for replies to any questions tabled by me to be answered by way of written reply.
