Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Some of these issues were also raised at the meeting. As with any scheme that is only three months old, there will be some teething problems. There were some issues with the assessment of data at the outset. Additional training is to be provided at all levels in local authorities. The Housing Agency has processed 460 applications and has sanctioned about 224 of those. If somebody has been refused for the wrong reason or there was misinformation regarding their continuous employment, that can be reviewed or there is an appeal mechanism there. We will make sure that happens as well.

I think the scheme will work and has been working very well. Naturally there will be some question marks around parts of it. There are clear criteria set down to judge overtime, bonuses and all that. The local authority processes the application, which is sent to the Housing Agency and the final decision is made by the credit committee of the local authority. There are clear definitions about that.

There are different types of overtime and different types of bonuses. We need to allow the credit committee to make the judgment on that. Some overtime is nearly like permanent wages - we are familiar with that around here - other overtime is not. That is the judgment call they must make when they assess that. We have asked that clear guidance be given. Any of the questions that have been raised are being worked through. If the Deputy comes across any other issues, we would be happy to have that amended. The frequently asked questions section is updated on a regular basis to reflect any changes. We want to make this as clear as possible and as accessible as possible because we want the scheme to work. That is why it is there.

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