asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware that the present requirements of his Department, as specified in paragraph A of Circular Letter Ref. SL. 57, Housing Grants, create unnecessary overlapping, as the information and particulars requested therein are already furnished to the Department with the original application; and if he will rectify this anomaly.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Housing Grants.
22.
The Housing (Amendment) Act, 1958, authorised a higher rate of grant for a new house containing private water supply and sewerage facilities, situate in an area in which public sanitary services are not available. For such grant it is necessary to have a certificate from the sanitary authority that no public services are available, and that there is no objection to the applicant's proposals. The Department cannot know in advance that an applicant intends to instal such services and that public services are not available in the area and applicants eligible for the higher rate of grant do not as a rule supply the full details with their original applications. I do not, therefore, agree that there is overlapping of procedure but I am having arrangements made to make the applicants concerned aware in advance of the necessity for submitting details of their proposals to the sanitary authority in the first instance.