Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have spoken to Kildare County Council about a number of elements of this and I understand it can take up to eight months for an inspection to take place. I do not dispute that a reasonable amount of time should be made available, but there should be a proviso that it is as early as possible. Will environmental health officers be available to conduct the inspections if the number of people envisaged by the member of state sign up for HAP? I must say I doubt the number will materialise but this is another matter. Staffing will be an issue.

The rental accommodation scheme, RAS, had quite rigorous housing assessment and included matters one would expect, such as having a fire blanket and attending to any small amount of dampness before a house entered the scheme. In this case people will already be in the houses. The legislation provides that payment can continue and if the property fails the people will have to find alternative accommodation. This will be one of the biggest problems. In an environment where we have a shortage of housing supply people who have settled in a house which does not meet the standards will have to go on the trail to find alternative accommodation. This and the staffing ratio are significant issues and I would like to hear what the Minister of State has to say on them.

See this speech in context