Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this technical Bill. The main objective of the Bill is to enable local authorities to draw up rental schemes as a reserve function. I concur with Deputy Lawlor that any occasion of central Government giving more power to local authority members is welcome. I am a former member of Clare County Council and its strategic policy committee on housing. I see the merit in the proposal.

Local authorities are key providers of housing and various housing supports and schemes. Housing is of fundamental importance to each individual in the State. The Bill will bring about greater transparency to the system by which rents are calculated. As it stands, there is a wide variation in the rents charged by local authorities. This Bill will bring about standardisation in the system and allow a certain level of discretion required for local authorities in setting rent parameters in the area. Legislation will be published later this year to facilitate the transfer of responsibility for the administration of rent supplement to local authorities. This change is welcome as local authorities are key agents in assessing housing applicants and knowing their needs. It makes sense to transfer the function to local authorities.

On a daily basis, my office is in touch with Clare County Council and the county's various town councils in respect of housing matters. I express my thanks to the hard-working staff of various housing sections. I have always found them helpful. A question that has risen over the past number of years concerns the processing of housing improvement grants by Clare County Council, namely, the housing adaption grant for people with a disability, the mobility aids housing grant scheme and the housing adaption grant for new houses. Unfortunately, access to these vital grants has been restricted to individuals experiencing exceptional health issues. The Department provides two thirds of the funding for each of the grants and the local authority, Clare County Council, provides one third. There is a problem in trying to get access to these vital grants that help people with their quality of life. There is a major backlog in County Clare.

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