asked the Minister for the Environment if he will expedite payment of a £1,000 new house grant to a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon; and the reason for the delay in making payment.
Written Answers. - Housing Grants.
311.
A grant will be paid when an inspection establishes that the house has been satisfactorily completed and occupied and that all the conditions applying to the grant scheme have been complied with. Applicant's file has been referred to my Department's inspector for final inspection. There has been no avoidable delay in dealing with this application.
317.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he will decentralise the administration of new house grants and house improvement grants to the local authorities so as to avoid the vast duplication of work which takes place as a result of applications being submitted to O'Connell Bridge House and houses being inspected by Department inspectors which in most cases are also being inspected by local authority inspectors of similar qualifications; if he accepts that this is a waste of public funds; and if he will take steps to streamline for grants system by having applications for grants processed by each local authority on behalf of his Department.
I do not accept that there is vast duplication of work or that there is a waste of public funds in the present administration of the schemes of new house grants and house improvement grants. Local authority inspections do not necessarily coincide with inspections for housing grants purposes and do not cover all grant applications. There are, however, certain advantages associated with devolution such as making the service more accessible to the general public. There are difficulties in the way of devolution relating mainly to costs, linkages with associated national schemes, staffing problems and also certain criteria of eligibility. I am having an examination made of these difficulties to see if a solution can be found.