Noel Dempsey
Question:36 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for the Environment if he intends to offer rural resettlement as a housing option under his social housing policy. [17853/96]
Written Answers. - Rural Resettlement.
Robert Molloy
Question:37 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for the Environment his response to the recommendation by Rural Resettlement Ireland Limited that rural resettlement should become a new local authority housing option; if he has considered these proposals; and if so, the action, if any, he proposes to take on foot of this recommendation. [21120/96]
Mary Flaherty
Question:60 Miss Flaherty asked the Minister for the Environment if he will report on his meeting with the rural resettlement organisation on 12 September 1996, regarding a new local authority housing option. [18311/96]
Noel Dempsey
Question:111 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for the Environment if he will consider permitting rural resettlement becoming a new local authority housing option due to its significant contribution and potential to the built and social environment. [18033/96]
Batt O'Keeffe
Question:117 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for the Environment if he intends to promote the proposals of Rural Resettlement Ireland Limited. [17889/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 37, 60, 111 and 117 together.
The housing aims of Rural Resettlement Ireland have my full support. Since 1992, my Department has paid grants totalling £215,000 towards the administrative and general expenses of RRI in respect of their housing-related activities, including £60,000 this year. RRI have also been granted approval 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 rural areas.
In addition, a new resettlement mortgage jointly funded by the Housing Finance Agency, through the local authority, Bank of Ireland, and RRI was introduced last July on a pilot basis. This new mortgage will assist qualifying families to resettle permanently by purchasing and restoring, where necessary, existing houses.
The significant support provided by my Department to RRI means that their programme can, as requested by RRI when they met the Minister in September, already be regarded as one of the range of social housing options now available. However, as I have indicated previously, I do not have proposals to provide for an additional "surrender" grant along the lines envisaged by RRI.