Kildare local-charge waiver scheme
De Rossa challenged Kildare’s screening of waiver-form requests; Kavanagh said the council followed the scheme and that waivers were for hardship only. Burke objected to portraying public concern as politically motivated, while Kavanagh maintained the scheme was adequate and defended the council’s approach; the remaining questions were deferred.
asked the Minister for the Environment if, arising from his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 363 of 1 March 1984, he is aware that Kildare County Council officials are operating a screening process on requests for waiver application forms in respect of local charges and refusing to supply the application forms to a large number of people; if he will indicate the measures he intends to take to ensure the Kildare County Council will issue waiver forms to all who request them; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Comment on this
I am informed by Kildare County Council that the waiver scheme is being operated by them in accordance with the terms and intentions of the scheme itself and of the relevant law.
As the Deputy is aware, charges may be waived under the Local Government (Financial Provisions) (No. 2) Act, 1983 on grounds of hardship only. The Deputy is also aware that householders generally in certain areas of Kildare are being urged on behalf of certain political interests to apply for waivers irrespective of their means in an obvious attempt to frustrate the operation of the scheme which has been adopted by the local council. The council's responsibility extends not only to ensuring that all genuine cases get the benefit of waiver but that the charges are paid by those who should pay them under the law and under the council's scheme and that liability is not left to be carried unfairly by just some of the people in that category.
It seems to me that any doubts about propriety in this matter relate not to the council's position but to that of the political interests concerned.
Comment on this
Would the Minister accept that there is a genuine concern about the waiver scheme and its operation not only in Kildare but nationally, and that for the Minister to give a dismissive reply and to suggest that it is merely the concern of one political organisation about the operation of the waiver scheme is not doing justice or being fair to the people of Kildare generally or the people of the country?
Comment on this
I have indicated in my reply that there is a waiver scheme which is quite adequate. The manager is entitled to carry out the terms of the scheme. There is in Kildare an attempt to encourage every conceivable person who has to pay any of these charges to apply for waiver and the Deputy must be aware of this. I have the evidence for it in front of me.
