Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 February 2013
197. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the rationale for seeking to change tenant purchase schemes in order that discounts are based on earnings rather than the length of time a social housing tenant has been renting their home. [5553/13]
View answerThe Incremental Purchase model is a discount scheme based on household income that enables the State to share in the profits from resale during the 20 to 30 year period for which the house is subject to an incremental purchase charge. In contrast to the 1995 scheme, the discounts provided under the incremental purchase principles are based on household income rather than length of tenancy, thereby allowing low-income households to move into home ownership earlier than otherwise might have been possible. The scheme is structured to make it attractive for households to put down long-term roots in the community and to commit to an area, thereby contributing to more sustainable and integrated communities.
