New housing form is bureaucracy gone mad
Issued : Thursday 24 February, 2005
“It is somewhat ironic that just when Kildare County Council is awarded with an e-Government award for “clearly delivering better services, information and efficiencies to the public” that some three and a half thousand people are being expected to decipher a new 22-page housing application form. This is bureaucracy gone mad,” Councillor Paddy MacNamara, the Labour Party candidate in the Kildare North by-election has said.
“The previous form was four pages and some people found this hard enough to handle, let alone increasing the form to a staggering and confusing 22 pages. We cannot underestimate how intimidating and off-putting this can be for many, many people. In fact you would need to be a lecturer to fill in this form. This is only making a tough process even harder.
“It is hard to believe that a simpler form could not have been devised, however this form was recommended by Minister Noel Ahern to local authorities as a standard form for the whole country. The authors obviously do not realise that people have great difficulties with forms and this should be more simple and user-friendly. The previous form sought the same information as the latest edition only now there are some bizarre additions such as asking respondents what language they speak. Is there really any need for such irrelevant information? If a new form has to be devised, could it not have been made easier?”
Cllr 
