Vol. 548 No. 5
329 Mr. Dennehy asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the level of State support available through the capital assistance scheme for the safe home programme whereby elderly Irish emigrants living abroad would be assisted to move home; the number of persons who have benefited from this scheme in 2001; his views on the operation of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5528/02]
I amended the terms of the voluntary housing capital assistance scheme on 27 November last to provide that up to 25% of accommodation in new projects undertaken under the scheme may be allocated to elderly emigrants returning to this country who satisfy the eligibility criteria. With the discretion which already existed under the scheme allowing an approved housing body to allocate up to 25% of accommodation in a project to persons who are not necessarily qualified for local authority housing, bodies who wish to cater particularly for returning emigrants are now in a position to make up to 50% of accommodation in a project available to this category of housing need.
Under the terms of the capital assistance scheme, assistance of up to 95% of the approved cost of a project is available to a voluntary housing body undertaking a project, subject to a unit cost limit of €120,700 in the five county borough areas and in the administrative areas of Fingal, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown and south County Dublin for a one or two bedroom unit. The unit cost limit in the case of projects located on islands is €114,300, while the limit in the case of projects located in other areas is €88,900. In addition, where site costs are included in the cost of a voluntary housing project, the unit cost limits may be increased by the cost of the site, subject to a maximum of €38,100 in the major urban areas as outlined above, or €31,800 per unit in projects located in other areas. As we are still at an early stage in the operation of the amended terms of the scheme, it is not possible to indicate the effectiveness of the scheme in so far as the accommodation of emigrants is concerned. However, the voluntary housing sector is particularly well qualified to meet the needs of our elderly emigrants and it will respond positively to my initiative.
