Vol. 510 No. 6
36 Mr. Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the way in which he ensures that housing authorities adhere to the letting priorities schemes approved by his Department; and his views on whether it is appropriate that a housing authority does not allocate gross overcrowding points to a family who have to sleep on the living room floor due to the fact there is no space available in the bedrooms. [22200/99]
Each housing authority is responsible for making a scheme of letting priorities to govern the letting of tenancies in its houses. The making or amendment of a scheme is a reserved function of the elected members of the authority under section 11 of the Housing Act, 1988, and is subject to my approval to ensure the scheme is in accordance with statutory requirements and that all categories of need are covered by the scheme.
My Department issued explanatory notes and guidelines to housing authorities in 1989 on the making of such schemes. These advised housing authorities that it should be the aim of a scheme to promote equality of opportunity in getting access to local authority housing based on relative housing needs. Subject to compliance with section 11 and regard being had to the guidelines, it is a matter for each housing authority to determine the detailed criteria to be included in its scheme.
The determination of priority in the allocation of a local authority house is a matter for the local authority in accordance with its scheme of letting priorities and I am precluded by statute from intervening in a way that might be construed as directing the letting of a house to a particular individual.
Does the Minister stand over the application of the letting priorities scheme by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in the following cases and, if he does not, will he take appropriate action? The first case is that of a widow who lives in a one bedroom flat with her 14 year old son and 19 year old daughter. The woman was refused points for overcrowding and did not receive any points for her daughter as the girl is over 18 years of age and is not in full-time education, whatever that has to do with overcrowding. The second case is that of a mother and her daughter, who is in her early twenties, who were evicted from a rented house because their rent was increased from £400 to £800. They fought the case in both the District and Circuit Courts. The council refused to allocate points for the daughter as she is over 18 years of age, in spite of the fact that the applicant has been on the housing list for between eight and ten years. The mother and daughter are now sleeping in a two bedroom house in which they share a bedroom with the woman's grandchild. They were refused points for gross overcrowding and only received simple overcrowding points. The third case is that of a divorced woman and her 17 year old daughter who sleep on a mattress in the sitting room of their house because the bedrooms are full. The local authority refused to grant the woman gross overcrowding points because the cubic capacity of the sitting room is greater than that required by the Eastern Health Board.
The Deputy's time has concluded.
Will the Minister take appropriate action in these cases? In spite of my having made numerous phone calls and written numerous letters, I have failed to receive any response from the local authority. Is it in order to reduce an applicant's points before a house is allocated when a child reaches 18 years of age? That is quite ridiculous.
The elected members of a council adopt the letting priorities. The Minister's function is to ensure councils comply with the Act.
The council is not in compliance in these cases.
The Deputy should allow the Minister to reply.
I understand that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council's scheme of letting priorities defines gross overcrowding at 30 square feet or less for the third or subsequent persons sleeping in a bedroom, allowing 100 square feet for the first two people. Similar provisions are contained in the letting schemes of Fingal and South Dublin County Councils. It was not possible for me to identify the case to which the Deputy referred in his question and raise it with the council. I suggest he takes up these cases directly with the council.
I have done that.
I have held discussions with the council and I suggest the Deputy should take up the matter with the council again. If he is not satisfied with the outcome, he should come back to me with details of the cases. I will need names.
I have the files here.
It is not my function to determine those to whom points are allocated. I am only interested in whether the letting priorities scheme is being complied with.
I am interested in ensuring fair play.
I support Deputy Barrett in this matter. Is it not the case that the Minister approves the schemes of letting priorities? Does the Minister of State agree that the schemes of letting priorities are being riven apart due to the length of time which many applicants are on the schemes because of his failure to provide adequate public and social housing?
This kind of propaganda is a favourite theme of Deputy Gilmore's.
It is not propaganda; I am outlining the facts.
The Minister of State does not live in Dublin.
One would imagine that the world began in July 1997 when this Government came into office.
The Minister of State can sing that.
Housing lists have doubled since then.
Please allow the Minister to respond.
The lack of preparation for expansion in the local authority housing programme by the preceding Government was absolutely shameful.
The same old tune.
It was Deputy Gilmore's own colleagues who were responsible for housing during that period. The comments being made now are quite obnoxious. I am the first Minister in recent years to have taken a wide range of action and secured enormous sums of money which have resulted in a dramatic increase in output and that will continue.
The terms of the letting priorities scheme were adopted in 1989. Deputy Gilmore is a member of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, having been re-elected during the summer and Deputy Barrett comes from the constituency. I suggest that if they have problems with the manner in which the terms of the scheme are being applied, they should directly consult with the council officials. They can come back to me if they are not satisfied with the outcome.
We know how to do our job.
We must move on to Question No. 37.
What about the letting priorities scheme? Can I just—
The six minutes allocated to this question have concluded. We must move on to the next question.
I am familiar with every aspect of housing policy in this country. I have been involved in interviewing housing applicants for 34 years. The Members of the Opposition cannot tell me anything about the hardship suffered by people waiting for local authority housing. I am taking major steps to try to ensure people are housed as quickly as possible.
The Minister should deal with Question No. 37.
The points have doubled since the Minister took office.
I have been in politics for 25 years and I have never seen anything like this before.
