asked the Minister for Local Government if he will direct housing authorities, when deciding elegibility for a supplementary new house grant, to consider the income of applicants in respect of the year ending on the date when the foundations were poured.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers (Resumed). - Housing Grants.
26.
The making of supplementary grants under section 26 of the Housing Act, 1966, and the conditions attaching thereto are matters for the local authority and not ones in which I can intervene. I understand however that the usual practice is to decide eligibility for such grants on the incomes of applicants in the year immediately preceding the date of application.
In Kildare at the moment an applicant applying for a supplementary grant in respect of a house, the foundations of which were laid before July, 1972, has to submit his present salary and that has to be weighed against the less advantageous income ceiling that existed in 1972. That can be hard on people with limited means.
I am still awaiting a question.
Is the Minister aware that this can be quite hard on people with very limited means about whom I am very concerned? They may take quite a long time to complete their house and so when they are in a position to apply for the supplementary grant some of them find that they are not entitled to it. Am I to assume by the Minister's remarks today that in Kildare, if we wish, we can adopt the proposal I have here without consultation with the Minister?
Whatever system is adopted in accordance with section 26 of the Housing Act, 1966, the making is entirely a matter for each local authority. I am told that the majority of local authorities, including Kildare County Council, accept the gross income of the applicant and spouse for the 12 months prior to the date of application as the basis for determining eligibility. It is only where they apply before they start the job and have an income built up working overtime for the purposes of getting enough money to start building or alternatively they wait until a wage increase occurs and apply sometimes before the job is finished that they could be caught, Normally, the local authority have the right to determine the matter themselves. Perhaps Deputy Power might, on that basis, take the matter up with the local authority.
I thought it was the local authority who had the final say in this matter.
They have.
Is overtime in all cases not to be taken into account?
I would not say that. The local authorities can determine this themselves and I will not interfere. Extra overtime which may be worked for a short period is a matter for the local authorities.