asked the Minister for the Environment when a grant for an extension and the installation of water, which were passed by an inspector 18 months ago, will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny who wrote four times requesting payment but received no reply to date although he received an acknowledgment to three other letters which were registered and if he will explain the reason full replies were not sent to the seven letters.

A grant will be paid when an inspection establishes that work has been satisfactorily completed and is eligible for a grant. The inspection will be carried out very shortly.

As the file in this case became mislaid, I regret that it is not possible to give information about the correspondence.

Could the Minister tell me how the file was mislaid or whether it was found or can he give some details or some explanation?

There was a very large volume of applications as I already said and this created certain difficulties for the staff and for the inspectors and, unfortunately, in this case the file got lost and despite an exhaustive search it has not been found but the matter has been dealt with and the person will be paid his grant.

(Cavan-Monaghan): Have many files to be reconstructed?

Could this be related to the previous question about applications being mislaid and lost and no acknowledgement or receipt being received from the Department? It could relate to this.

No, it could not.

Could the Minister explain why four letters written to the Department were not replied to?

As I said, a certain strain was put on the staff because of the large number of applications received. Unfortunately in this case the file got lost and now we have arranged for an inspection to be carried out.

Did the four letters get lost?

A final supplementary.

Why were they not replied to?

They are too busy looking for files.

Why were those four letters not replied to? Why were the three registered letters acknowledged but not replied to? The question is there and the Minister should give me an explanation.

I have given an explanation.

The Minister did not say why this old age pensioner who was due a grant for 18 months had not received a reply to her letters. The Department were not prepared to make the grant available to her. In frustration she came to me to try to get the grant. The Minister should explain why she did not get a reply to any of her seven letters. I am not talking about files but letters.

A final supplementary.

Is the Deputy saying those letters were addressed to me?

They were addressed to the Minister for the Environment. Deputy Fahey is the Minister and tells me now——

The only answer I can give is the one I have before me, that is, that the file was mislaid and that there is a huge backlog of work in that Department.

I asked a specific question. Why were these letters not replied to?

Question No. 16.

I am waiting for an answer to a question which is on the Order Paper.

I am sorry, Deputy, but I have allowed——

I am sorry if I am disorderly but I am waiting for an answer to a question——

I have allowed five supplementaries on this one question. I will allow one final supplementary.

I am asking the same question I have already asked three times. What is the Minister's answer? Will the Chair instruct the Minister to answer me?

I have no responsibility for the Minister's answers.

Are you not the lucky man?

I am calling Question No. 16.

I am not sitting down. I want an answer to my question. Why were this woman's letters not answered?

(Cavan-Monaghan): They do not answer letters from individuals.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. I have people coming to me every day with this type of question.

We do not want a debate.

I do not want a debate but I want an answer.

I have already given the answer: the file in this case was unfortunately mislaid.

Accepted.

The Deputy asked about the letters. I have no knowledge of those letters other than that the file was lost. Perhaps the letters were attached to the file. I am not prepared to waste the time of a busy Department trying to get grants paid——

Wasting whose time?

——and carrying out extensive investigations.

Question No. 16.

I do not accept that as an answer.