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(b) By the implementation of the Improvement Grant Scheme.
(c) By the use of the repair sections of the Housing Act, 1957 as amended by the Housing
Act, 1969.
(d) By the use of the nuisance provisions of the Public Health Act, 1936.
Details of the action taken to secure the repair and improvement of houses are as follows:
(a) Qualification Certificates
As reported in 1969 and 1970 there were 2,214 applications for Qualification
Certificates of which it was only possible to survey 1,422, leaving 792 to be inspected
in 1971. In addition, further applications were received in 1971. Although the rush of
applications has stopped there is a steady stream of new applications.
To date, from the inception of this procedure 1,352 certificates have been issued.
These houses are not of a type for which the normal repair provisions of the Housing Act
or the Public Health Act would be used but nevertheless the average cost of bringing them to the
standard of good repair necessary for the issue of a Qualification Certificate has averaged at £250
per dwelling. Thus it will be seen that repairs to date have cost approximately £271,250. From the
foregoing it can be seen that this scheme has not dealt with the hardcore of the problem, i.e. property
which is older in more serious disrepair and lacking in amenities.
Until November 1971 the department was only responsible for the technical work involved
in the qualification certificate procedure but since that time both the administrative and technical
matters have become the responsibility of the department.
Applications for Qualification Certificates received during 1971:
Number of applications for Qualification Certificates received 265
Number of houses inspected 800
Number of applications for Qualification Certificates cancelled 14
Number of Qualification Certificates refused 19
Number of Qualification Certificates granted 836
Number of combined applications received (Improvement Grant
and Qualification Certificate) 61
Number of houses inspected 78
Number of Certificates of Provisional Approval issued 29
Number of combined applications granted 28
Number of combined applications refused —
Improvement Areas
When the Housing Act, 1969 came into operation no provisions were retained for the continued
Declaration of improvement areas, and the powers given to local authorities in the Housing Act,
1964 to compel landlords of tenanted houses to provide standard amenities were discontinued.
This is considered to be a retrograde step since it will now be more difficult to secure the provision
of these amenities in all dwellings. In 1965 it was estimated that over 2,700 houses were lacking
in one or more standard amenities and a target was set to include all these in improvement areas
over a period of 10 years. Although the Housing Act, 1969 made provisions for action to continue
in respect of any area declared under the 1964 Housing Act, it created many difficulties.
Whilst under the 1964 Act an owner could increase the rent by 12½% of his share of the cost
of providing standard amenities, under the 1969 Act he can obtain a certificate of fair rent which
ultimately, after phasing, produces a rent in excess of 12½%. Tenants in the improvement areas
who had signed their willingness to have the standard amenities for a 12½% increase of half the
cost of their provision, have been reluctant to agree to the fair rent which was higher. Owners on
the other hand were interested not only in providing the amenities, but also in carrying out repairs
to a good standard in order to obtain the double benefit of the £1,000 discretionary grant and a
"fair rent".
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