asked the Minister for Local Government whether there is any legal impediment which prevents a county council from providing water and sewerage to vested cottages on the basis of adjusting the annuities payable on such cottages so as to repay the cost of such services; and, if so, whether he proposes to take steps to remove it by legislation or otherwise.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Water and Sewerage Schemes for Vested Cottages.
23.
When a cottage has been vested pursuant to the Labourers Act, 1936, the annuity fixed in the statutory purchase scheme cannot be altered for the purpose in question. I understand that Kildare County Council is considering an alternative procedure to facilitate the servicing of vested cottages.
Would the Minister think it desirable to remove the existing difficulty by legislation so that if a county council desires to provide water and sewerage services for a vested cottage, they may do so by charging the occupants of the cottage an annuity which could be associated with the annuity already payable on the cottage? That would be by far the easiest method of dealing with a problem of this kind.
I do not doubt it may seem easier than the alternative method that has been proposed, but, on examination—and I have had the matter fairly fully, though not conclusively, examined—it was found that legislation to do as the Deputy now asks would, by and large, have the effect ultimately of bringing into disuse the usefulness of the existing purchase schemes. If those schemes were subject to change for that purpose, there is no reason why they would not be subject to change for the purpose, say, of building additional rooms. What purpose would there be in vesting these cottages if there was nothing fixed about them in the first instance, not to mention the difficulty of the annuities, the repayments, the raising of the loans and the fixed charges which are now being paid? I might say to the Deputy and to other Deputies who I understand have a specific problem in Kildare with regard to the housing scheme, that if so, I shall be glad to have their views and possibly find a solution to the problem as it now exists.
I am not referring to any particular case. What I have in mind is that a local authority—Kildare County Council is one of them —might desire to extend water and sewerage schemes to the vested cottages in particular parts of their administrative areas, but at present they cannot do so under the Labourers Acts because I understand that they cannot alienate the cottage for the purpose of guaranteeing repayment of the money spent on water and sewerage schemes. While I do not think there is much difficulty in amending the Act to facilitate local authorities in providing water and sewerage schemes in accordance with the Minister's recommendations to the authorities, the alternative method seems to be to use the compulsory powers under the Sanitary Services Act.
Clearly that is a long speech.
I am afraid I cannot add anything to what I have said to the Deputy. This is a matter not as simple of solution as the Deputy suggests.
But not insoluble.
I agree, but not in that way.