Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In law since 1983, where a charge is due from a person in a specific instance, the local authority is empowered to withhold another payment in respect of that if it wishes. Local authorities, however, are not entitled to withhold an element of the third level grant. What Clare County Council did was acquire information as part of processing the application form for a third level grant as to whether the householders involved had actually paid the household charge. It is not entitled by law to withhold any of the grant.

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