Vol. 227 No. 7
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government the date on which the new house of a person (name supplied) was passed for payment of the first instalment of a grant; and if, in view of the fact that a Land Commission loan is being held up pending payment of the grant, he will have this grant paid immediately.
58.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government if he will explain the delay in paying a housing grant to a person (particulars supplied); and when the house was inspected and passed for payment of the first instalment of the grant.
I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 57 and 58 together.
The house in question was inspected on 13th January, 1967 and was passed for payment on 26th January, 1967. Where there is evidence of an illegal no-rates campaign the inquiries which are now being made as to whether particular applicants for grants have paid their rates inevitably result in delays in the payment of grants in those cases, including the present case, where rates have not yet been paid. Further inquiries are being made in this and other cases as to whether there are special features involved.
(Cavan): Is the Minister serious about that? Is the Minister not aware that this lady is a widow whose house, for all practical purposes, fell a couple of years ago and that for the past couple of years she has been doing everything possible to get a house built? With the assistance of the Land Commission, who agreed to give her a loan of £500, she built this house but the Land Commission loan is being held up because the Minister will not pay the grant. What has the rates campaign to do with a case like this?
When the normal workings of this section of the Department are disrupted by people who are conspiring to deprive the community of essential services, it may occasionally happen that there will be some innocent victims. In this case, the rates have not yet been paid. I am investigating it to see whether there are any special features involved which would alter the picture.
(Cavan): Is the Minister not aware that there are cases outstanding in County Cavan—I suppose he will deal with them in other questions—for the past six months or more? What has the non-payment of rates to do with this? This grant is not payable out of rates. Does the Minister not agree that it is payable out of funds from the Exchequer?
As the Minister for Local Government, I have some responsibility for seeing that the central services provided by local authorities are maintained. They cannot be maintained without the finances to operate them. Therefore, I consider I have a responsibility to make myself aware of whether or not the illegal campaign to deprive the community of these services is effective. Certain inquiries have to be made which inevitably result in delays, since this is additional to the normal work of the Department.
(Cavan): Am I to take it that this lady has paid the moiety of rates which fell due on 30th September last?
My information is that the rates have not been paid.
(Cavan): In respect of what period?
Neither moiety.
Question No. 59.
(Cavan): Is the Minister saying that the moiety which fell due on 30th September, 1966, has not been paid?
Yes, that is right.
Question No. 59.
This is on 3rd April, 1967.
Next question.
59.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of County Cavan the number of new house grants passed for payment but awaiting payment for (a) six months or more, (b) three months or more, and (c) one month or more.
The following are the numbers of new house grants in County Cavan which have been passed for payment but are awaiting payment:— (a) Nil; (b) Nil; (c) 25.
60.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of County Cavan the number of new houses awaiting inspection by inspectors of his Department for payment of grants for (a) one month or more, (b) two months or more, and (c) three months or more.
The following are the numbers of new house grant cases being dealt with by inspectors of my Department as at 3rd April, 1967:— (a) 11; (b) 1; (c) Nil.
The figures given are not confined to cases where the house itself requires inspection. They include all cases where reports are required from my inspectors, whether in relation to the house involved, the means of applicant, valuation, or otherwise.
61.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of County Cavan the number of reconstruction housing grants passed for payment and awaiting payment for (a) six months or more, (b) three months or more, and (c) one month or more.
The following are the numbers of reconstruction housing grants in County Cavan which have been passed for payment but are awaiting payment:— (a) Nil; (b) Nil; (c) 35.
62.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of County Cavan the number of reconstructed houses awaiting inspection by inspectors of his Department for payment of grants for (a) one month or more, (b) two months or more, and (c) three months or more.
The following are the numbers of grant cases being dealt with by inspectors of my Department as at 3rd April, 1967: (a) 21; (b) 2; (c) Nil.
The figures given are not confined to cases where the house itself requires inspection, they include all cases where reports are required from my inspectors, whether in relation to the house involved, the means of the applicant, valuation, or otherwise.
(Cavan): Has the Minister received many complaints from County Cavan over the last number of months about grants being held up?
I do not think so, not personally. I did not notice anything exceptional.
(Cavan): Is the Minister not aware from his Department and from his officials that there are great complaints throughout the county about grants being held up for months and months? The Minister says they are not being held up on account of inspection alone. Will the Minister agree that files are being sent back to inspectors for all sorts of inquiries and that while questions may not exactly cover the points of the cases mentioned by the Minister, there is, in fact, very considerable delay in the payment of grants?
I am not aware that there is.
(Cavan): Then the Minister must be the only one who is not so aware.
63.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government the number of new house grants passed for payment but awaiting payment for (a) six months or more, (b) three months or more, and (c) one month or more.
64.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government the number of reconstruction housing grants passed for payment and awaiting payment for (a) six months or more, (b) three months or more, and (c) one month or more.
65.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government the number of private water and sewerage installations passed for payment of grants but awaiting payment for (a) six months or more, (b) three months or more and (c) one month or more.
I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 63, 64 and 65 together.
The statistics requested by the Deputy are not readily available in my Department. Their compilation would involve an inordinate amount of time and would delay the work of the Section considerably.
66.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government the number of new houses awaiting inspection by inspectors of his Department for payment of grants for (a) one month or more, (b) two months or more, and (c) three months or more.
67.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government the number of reconstructed houses awaiting inspection by inspectors of his Department for payment of grants for (a) one month or more, (b) two months or more, and (c) three months or more.
68.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government the number of private water and sewerage installations awaiting inspection by inspectors of his Department for payment of grants for (a) one month or more, (b) two months or more, and (c) three months or more.
I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 66, 67 and 68 together.
Statistics in the detail requested by the Deputy are not available in my Department. In order to supply the required information, it would be necessary to examine all files at present with my inspectors. The difficulties involved and the time required in extracting the statistics would not be warranted.
I do not think it would be any harm if the Department were to examine these files and find out what is the delay in the payment of these grants.
That is a statement, not a question.
There is no necessity to make all these inquiries.
I happen to be in this business and I know the difficulty in getting payment out of the Minister's Department. You could not get a halfpenny out of it long before the rates campaign started. That is only balderdash.
There is no delay at all in the payment of these grants.
69.
asked the Minister for Local Government the county councils and other local authorities which pay supplementary housing grants for the erection of new houses, for the reconstruction, repair and improvement of houses and for the installation of water and sewerage facilities in the Republic; the amounts paid by each such authority; whether the grant is paid in full pound for pound of the local government grant or in part; and, if in part, the amount of such part.
As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to have it circulated with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:—
LOCAL AUTHORITIES PAYING SUPPLEMENTARY GRANTS.
Amount of Supplementary Grant Expressed as a Percentage of the Relevant State Grant.
|
(1) |
(2) |
(3) |
(4) |
|
Local authority |
New house grants |
Reconstruction grants |
Water and sewerage grants |
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
County councils: |
|||
|
Carlow |
66? and 100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Cavan |
25 to 100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Clare |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Cork (North) |
33? to 100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Cork (South) |
33? to 100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Cork (West) |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Donegal |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Dublin |
33? to 100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Galway |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Kerry |
41 to 91 |
100 |
|
|
Kildare |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Kilkenny |
33? to 100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Leitrim |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Laois |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Limerick |
50 to 100 |
50 |
100 |
|
Longford |
50 to 100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Louth |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Mayo |
33? to 100 |
33? to 100 |
100 |
|
Meath |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Monaghan |
30 to 100 |
20 to 100 |
100 |
|
Offaly |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Roscommon |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Sligo |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Tipperary (NR) |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Tipperary (SR) |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Waterford |
33? to 100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Westmeath |
50 to 100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Wexford |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Wicklow |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
County borough corporations: |
|||
|
Dublin |
75 |
100 |
100 |
|
Cork |
33? to 100 |
100 |
|
|
Limerick |
55 to 100 |
100 |
|
|
Waterford |
100 |
100 |
|
|
Urban district councils: |
|||
|
Athlone |
50 to 100 |
||
|
Athy |
66? |
100 |
100 |
|
Ballinasloe |
100 |
||
|
Bray |
100 |
||
|
Carlow |
66? |
66? |
|
|
Carrick-on-Suir |
50 |
25 and 50 |
|
|
Castlebar |
100 |
100 |
|
|
Ceanannus Mór |
100 |
50 |
|
|
Clonmel |
100 |
25 to 100 |
|
|
Drogheda |
100 |
100 |
|
|
Dundalk |
100 |
||
|
Dungarvan |
33? to 100 |
100 |
|
|
Dún Laoghaire |
33? to 100 |
100 |
|
|
Ennis |
100 |
100 |
|
|
Kilkenny |
100 |
100 |
|
|
Kilrush |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Listowel |
36 |
||
|
Macroom |
100 |
||
|
Naas |
100 |
100 |
|
|
Nenagh |
100 |
100 |
|
|
Skibbereen |
50 |
100 |
|
|
Sligo |
100 |
100 |
|
|
Templemore |
100 |
50 |
|
|
Thurles |
18 |
||
|
Tipperary |
50 |
50 and 75 |
|
|
Tullamore |
100 |
||
|
Westport |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Youghal |
33? to 100 |
NOTES:
(1) The details set out above have been extracted from schemes furnished to the Department by the authorities concerned.
(2) In those cases where a range of percentages is shown in columns (2) and (3), the percentage of the State grant which is paid by the authority as a supplementary grant varies according to the income of the applicant or the rateable valuation of the property occupied by him.
(3) The percentages shown in columns (3) and (4) are subject to the statutory requirement that the combined total of State and supplementary grants may not exceed two-thirds of the approved cost of the work.
(4) In some cases, supplementary grant schemes in respect of urban areas are administered by the county councils concerned.
(5) Dublin Corporation pay supplementary grants equal to 100% of the State grant to Corporation tenants who surrender clear possession of their dwellings and to persons who are on the Corporation's approved waiting list for re-housing.
