Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 22 Oct 1996

Vol. 470 No. 4

Written Answers. - Rural Resettlement Programme.

Desmond J. O'Malley

Question:

136 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for the Environment if he will approve the proposals put to him at a recent meeting with Rural Resettlement Ireland Limited for the resettlement of families in rural areas from urban areas; and if he will make a statement on his attitude to this scheme. [19059/96]

Noel Treacy

Question:

146 Mr. N. Treacy asked the Minister for the Environment if he will make funds available to the Rural Resettlement Ireland Organisation in order to assist it with rural repopulation, to release local authority houses in urban areas and to give a balance to Irish demographical development; the amount of money which he will make available in each of the years 1996 and 1997; the date on which this money will be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19130/96]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Ms McManus)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 146 together.

My Department has paid a grant of £60,000 towards the administrative and general expenses of RRI in respect of their housing-related activities in 1996. It is not possible to indicate, at this stage, the level of funding that might be available to RRI in 1997.

RRI has been granted approved body status for the purposes of the voluntary housing capital assistance and rental subsidy schemes and are providing a number of houses under these schemes. Households moving under the RRI programme may be eligible for local authority house purchase loans or shared ownership, and the deposit requirement under the latter scheme has been eased in these cases. The mortgage allowance and improvement works-in-lieu schemes can also be used to assist families wishing to resettle in a rural area.

A new resettlement mortgage jointly funded by the Housing Finance Agency, through the local authority, Bank of Ireland and RRI was introduced on 1 July 1996 on a pilot basis. This new mortgage will assist qualifying families to resettle permanently by purchasing and restoring, where necessary, existing houses.

At a recent meeting with the Minister for the Environment, RRI proposed that resettlement should become a new local authority housing option and that an additional "surrender" grant be provided to a family vacating a local authority house. The significant support provided by my Department to RRI means that their programme can already be regarded as one of the range of social housing options now available. However, as indicated previously, there are no proposals to provide for an additional "surrender" grant along the lines proposed by RRI at the recent meeting.