asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the delay in the payment of a fuel conversion grant to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.

The grant in this case will be paid very shortly. Any delay in dealing with the case has been due to the unprecedented number of applications with my Department at present.

(Cavan-Monaghan): Could the Minister give the date on which his Department were notified that the work had been completed?

I do not have that information. All I know is that the application form was received on 11 December last, the case was referred to the Department's inspector on 23 January and the inspection was carried out on 20 February.

(Cavan-Monaghan): May I take it that as from 20 February the grant was cleared and ready for payment?

Yes. The works were found to be completed satisfactorily.

(Cavan-Monaghan): Does the Minister not think that is a long delay?

Yes, but in view of the position in my Department at that time and the very heavy numbers of applications, staff had to be diverted to other essential work.

(Cavan-Monaghan): Has order been restored from chaos?

Order has been restored but there never was chaos.

(Cavan-Monaghan): The Minister could not get in.

In this House I said that I had never been denied access to my office at any time. It is very low of the Deputy to come in here making such remarks, and I am going to stay in my Department as well.