asked the Minister for the Environment if he will consider increasing the incentives for persons buying second hand houses in view of the increasing number of empty houses and the resulting dereliction and decay of many communities particularly in centre-city areas.
Written Answers. - Second Hand House Purchases.
30.
There are a number of incentives available from my Department to persons buying second hand houses. These include the £5,000 grant for local authority tenants and tenant purchasers surrendering their houses to acquire private houses and the £3,000 mortgage subsidy for special categories of house purchasers including those eligible for the £5,000 grant and certain families on approved local authority waiting lists. Special category house purchase loans of up to £20,000 under the SDA scheme and up to £27,000 under the housing finance agency scheme are also available to such purchasers. I do not at present have proposals for increasing these incentives.