Vol. 496 No. 4
242 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo has not being paid a £4,500 grant for relocating from a local authority house to a privately bought house. [23060/98]
I presume the Deputy is referring to the mortgage allowance scheme whereby an allowance of up to £4,500 is payable over a five year period to tenants or tenant purchasers of local authority housing or tenants of houses provided under the voluntary housing rental subsidy scheme to assist them to purchase or have a private house built with a mortgage loan. It is paid directly by my Department to the lending agency on certification by the local authority that the applicant comes within the conditions of the scheme and is entitled to the allowance.
In this particular case, an application for payment of the allowance, accompanied by the certificate required has not yet been received in the Department.
243 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of people living in residential areas (details supplied) in County Kilkenny are not in a position to avail of the tax incentives proposed in the integrated area plan submitted for approval to his Department by Kilkenny County Council in March 1998, in relation to improvement works to their homes; and if he will have grants made available to those residents, in particular old age pensioners, single parents and the unemployed. [23071/98]
I have nothing to add to my reply to Question No. 320 of 10 November 1998 in relation to the reintroduction of a grants scheme for home improvements.
