asked the Minister for the Enviroment if the £5,000 grant will be available to local authority tenants under any tenant purchase scheme to be introduced.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - £5,000 Grant.
4.
I presume that the question refers to the £5,000 grant available to local authority tenants and tenant-purchasers of at least three years standing who buy or build a house for their own occupation and surrender their local authority dwellings in a condition suitable for re-letting to a housing applicant. Since the essential purpose of the £5,000 grant is to increase the numbers of dwellings becoming available for letting, the grant is not available to local authority tenants purchasing their dwellings under a tenant purchase scheme.
What is the reason for the delay in announcing the 1985 local authority house purchase scheme? Details of the scheme have not been announced although we are into the month of November. Deputy McGahon was seeking to know if in the new scheme a deduction of £5,000 from the sale price would be granted.
It does not appear that the Deputy asked for that information. Discussions took place during the year with NATO through my Minister of State. They proved inconclusive, but a memorandum to the Government is being prepared on the basis of the problem that has arisen due to a lack of agreement between NATO and the Department. I hope to be in a position to announce the purchase scheme fairly soon.