Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Even when tenants do inform local authorities of their difficulties the local authorities, in some cases, will not do anything about it until year end. People who have never been in arrears before then panic because they believe they will be liable to pay rent which is substantially above their ability to pay because of changing circumstances. There must be some flexibility within the local authorities to review cases on a quarterly basis. The idea that cases can only be reviewed once a year when circumstances can change dramatically at any time puts people under significant pressure because they do not know the amount they should be paying and this causes problems in terms of household budgeting and so on. I ask that the Minister of State take on board how this matter is actually being dealt with by the local authorities and to ensure there is a uniform approach in this regard.