asked the Minister for the Environment if he will introduce emergency legislation to allow the Louth county manager to waive the rate demand on the many business premises for sale in the county at present.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Rate Waivers.
40.
Local authorities already have considerable discretionary powers to deal with cases of hardship as regards liability for payment of rates and I do not consider that any further provision is necessary.
41.
asked the Minister for the Environment if, arising from his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 363 of 1 March 1984, he is aware that Kildare County Council officials are operating a screening process on requests for waiver application forms in respect of local charges and refusing to supply the application forms to a large number of people; if he will indicate the measures he intends to take to ensure the Kildare County Council will issue waiver forms to all who request them; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I am informed by Kildare County Council that the waiver scheme is being operated by them in accordance with the terms and intentions of the scheme itself and of the relevant law.
As the Deputy is aware, charges may be waived under the Local Government (Financial Provisions) (No. 2) Act, 1983 on grounds of hardship only. The Deputy is also aware that householders generally in certain areas of Kildare are being urged on behalf of certain political interests to apply for waivers irrespective of their means in an obvious attempt to frustrate the operation of the scheme which has been adopted by the local council. The council's responsibility extends not only to ensuring that all genuine cases get the benefit of waiver but that the charges are paid by those who should pay them under the law and under the council's scheme and that liability is not left to be carried unfairly by just some of the people in that category.
It seems to me that any doubts about propriety in this matter relate not to the council's position but to that of the political interests concerned.
Would the Minister accept that there is a genuine concern about the waiver scheme and its operation not only in Kildare but nationally, and that for the Minister to give a dismissive reply and to suggest that it is merely the concern of one political organisation about the operation of the waiver scheme is not doing justice or being fair to the people of Kildare generally or the people of the country?
The Way Forward.
I have indicated in my reply that there is a waiver scheme which is quite adequate. The manager is entitled to carry out the terms of the scheme. There is in Kildare an attempt to encourage every conceivable person who has to pay any of these charges to apply for waiver and the Deputy must be aware of this. I have the evidence for it in front of me.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.