Vol. 572 No. 4
214 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government if participants in the Thogal housing development at Ballymun will qualify for the new house grant, in view of the fact that the scheme was agreed prior to the abolition of the national grant by the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23524/03]
The termination of the new house grant scheme was a difficult decision that the Government was required to take in order to ensure a sustainable match between Government resources and expenditure. In terminating the new house grant, the Government has sought to ensure fair treatment first by ensuring that all applications approved or pending in my Department will, subject to the normal conditions of the scheme, qualify for grant payment. In addition, people who had already made commitments in the form of signed contracts or by the pouring of foundations on or before 14 November 2002 were given an opportunity to apply for the grant. In providing a grace period up to 4 December 2002 for cases such as these, first-time buyers who are at the most advanced stage of purchase or building are being facilitated as far as possible.
In this context, it was recognised that arrangements differ for new houses purchased under affordable housing schemes in that successful applicants for affordable housing are generally only required to sign a contract by the local authority at a very late stage, often after they have occupied their new home. For this reason, applicants for new house grants are regarded as having entered into a contract to purchase an affordable house where a written offer of an affordable house was made by the local authority or by a body standing approved for the purposes of section 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 on or before 14 November 2002. In such cases it was a requirement that the relevant local authority notified my Department to this effect on or before 4 December 2002. In all cases, it is a condition of payment of the grant that the house is completed and occupied by the applicant by 13 November 2003. I am very aware that difficulties are being faced by some new house grant applicants in meeting this deadline. Consideration is currently being given by my Department as to how these difficulties might be addressed bearing in mind the need to ensure fair treatment and to achieve closure on the scheme.
