Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 September 2004
190 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to abolish ground rents; the assistance available to families and persons in need whose lease is due to expire involving considerable costs to them if they are not to lose their home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22987/04]
View answerThe Government's legislative programme makes provision for a Bill to abolish ground rents. As I have stated previously, publication of the Bill is subject to the resolution of possible constitutional and practical difficulties. The constitutional difficulties relate to the respective rights of ground rent tenants and landlords while the practical difficulties concern land law generally and in particular the land registration system.
I am sure that the Deputy is aware that a statutory scheme for the acquisition of the fee simple in dwelling houses is contained in the Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rents)(No. 2) Act 1978. Part III of that Act provides a special procedure, operated at low cost by the Land Registry, whereby a person may acquire readily and relatively inexpensively the fee simple in their dwelling house. The value of a lease to a landlord increases the closer the lease is to expiry and the best advice to give tenants is to buy out a ground rent in good time. This will avoid the extra costs attaching to the purchase of the ground rent where a lease is close to expiry. This has been the consistent advice offered by Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
