asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of divergencies in the operation of differential rent schemes by various city and county managers; and if he will take steps to equalise the operation of these schemes throughout the country.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Differential Rent Schemes.
26.
Under the Housing Act, 1966, the management and control of their dwellings is primarily a matter for each housing authority, of which there are more than 100 in the country. These authorities have adopted various forms of differential renting, according to local circumstances, over periods extending up to about 40 years; and this form of renting now applies to more than 63,000 local authority dwellings—as against about 44,000 dwellings let by them on fixed rents.
Apart from the basic legal rights of housing authorities to exercise a measure of discretion in adopting rent provisions appropriate to conditions in their areas it would, in my view, be difficult to apply at once a uniform system over so large an estate, in place of systems adopted by as many authorities over so long a period and to dwellings of so wide a range of sizes, standards and locations. However, to help authorities in framing schemes, my Department in February, 1969, notified them by circular letter of certain guidelines, based on principles in schemes prepared by authorities in the past and approved by the Minister. The object of this circular letter was to ensure that, in general, the same schemes would apply to new dwellings in different areas, subject to costs, standards and other local circumstances, and that these new schemes would be applied to older dwellings as soon as reasonably practicable.