Vol. 536 No. 5
271 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if the operation of a home improvement loan scheme is at the discretion of individual local authorities; and the way in which the scheme is funded. [14677/01]
The operation of the home improvement loan scheme is a matter for each local authority which is a lending authority for the purpose of the house purchase and improvement loans schemes. All county councils, county borough corporations, borough corporations and the urban district councils of Athlone, Bray and Dundalk are lending authorities and as such may make all loans schemes available. In the remaining urban district councils the schemes are administered by the relevant county council for the area. Local authorities receive a total combined annual capital allocation from my Department in respect of house purchase and improvement loans, disabled person's and essential repairs grants. Local authorities have discretion as to how they use this allocation as between the different schemes. The allocations are merely limits to the authorities' expenditure for these purposes and the actual expenditure can be funded either from their own resources or by borrowing from the Housing Finance Agency.
