asked the Minister for Local Government whether he is aware that the present system whereby applicants for reconstruction grants must apply direct to his Department for the necessary application forms, etc., is unsatisfactory, and, if so, whether he will arrange to have these cases dealt with direct through local authority offices, as obtained during the 1949-51 period.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Reconstruction Grants.
I am not aware that the present system of administration of reconstruction grants under the Housing Acts is unsatisfactory and, accordingly, I do not propose to amend this system.
Is the Minister aware that during the period when the system prevailed whereby these applications went through local authorities these grants were dealt with in a much more expenditious and satisfactory manner? Is the Minister also aware of the grave difficulties inflicted on applicants who have of necessity to send to the Custom House, Dublin, where they do not want to send, for all the available information and for the necessary forms and that when these forms have been completed the local authority offices must again be by-passed in favour of the Custom House?
Arising out of the Deputy's supplementary, I would refer him to the reply I gave to the supplementary to his last question whereby he will see we are endeavouring to expedite sanction for all arrears of applications which are now pending. I do not agree that it would be more expeditious to write direct to the local authorities for such application forms as are necessary. To do so, one would have to affix a 3d. stamp to a letter, whereas the letter can go post free to the Custom House.
Is the Minister aware that the applicant can call personally to the local authority offices. whereas it would cost him £4 or £5 to come up to Dublin?
asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the delays which occur in the payment of housing reconstruction grants to applicants in the Cork City and County areas, and, if so, if he will arrange to have such applications dealt with more expeditiously.
I am not aware of any undue delay in the payment of these grants. If the Deputy supplies me with particulars of any cases in which he thinks there was such delay, I shall have the matter examined.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary undertake to examine the numerous cases I can submit to him and would he agree to review all the arrangements if he finds that the information in my question is correct? There is undue delay in such cases.
I can assure the Deputy and every interested Deputy that well-founded complaints sent to the Department will be immediately investigated. Thousands of such complaints, real and imaginary — a good many of them more imaginary than real — have been received in the Department since the beginning of June. The Minister can tell you that both himself and your humble servant have devoted a good deal of time to this whole matter since we went to the Custom House in the beginning of June. I requested senior inspectors to come to the Department at the end of June and made plain to them what was reasonably required of them. I do not pretend to the House that everything is perfect. In fact, only two weeks ago, as a result of the receipt of a well-founded complaint, I requested a Department inspector to start on a tour of the headquarters of every housing inspector and he is on that job at the moment. In one case, where, after several warnings, an inspector was found not to be doing his job in the way expected of him, I regret to say that disciplinary action was taken.
Was he from Cork?
The inspector will go to Cork as well as to other places.