Written Answers. - Rent Subsidies.
Róisín Shortall
Ceist:
380
Ms Shortall
asked the
Minister for Finance
if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 212 of 20 October 1997, he will give each of the eight health boards' returns to the Revenue Commissioners in respect of rent allowance payments in the tax year 1996-7 or the last tax year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[21334/98]
I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that, to date, information has been received in relation to payments of rent subsidies made by the Eastern Health Board for the year ended 5 April 1996. The information supplied contains details of 34,128 tenancies in respect of which subsidies totalling £31.7 million were paid.
As indicated in the earlier reply, the information supplied does not include details of the landlords of the premises in respect of which the subsidies were paid. Details of rent subsidies are held on the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs, DSCFA, computer system. It is understood by the Revenue Commissioners that, for reasons connected with the Data Protection Act 1998, the DSCFA computer does not include landlord details. This information is maintained on the individual applicant's file, which is a manual record, held in the health boards. Extraction of the landlord details from these files is causing difficulties for the health boards.
The details supplied in relation to payments made by the Eastern Health Board in the year 1995/96 were taken from the DSCFA computer system and were supplied as an interim measure to enable Revenue to assess the usefulness of the information. The information was found to be of limited value to Revenue, because it did not contain details of the landlords of the premises in question. Tracing the identity of the landlord would involve an unjustifiable expenditure of Revenue resources because this information is already available to the health boards and is required to be supplied by them to Revenue. The health boards, through the DSCFA, which represents the health boards in this regard, have been advised of the position and been requested to supply full returns, including details of each landlord's name and address, for the years 1995-96 and 1996-97. The return for the year 1997-98 will be due on 31 January 1999.
A return of payments made in one week in August 1998 has been received from the Midland Health Board. This return includes details of 1,554 tenancies and also details of the landlords to whom the payments were made.
I am informed that Revenue and the DSCFA are continuing to explore ways in which the health boards can fully comply with their obligations under section 888 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997.
