Local Authority Housing Mortgages

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2013

Tuesday, 22 October 2013

Questions (357)

Kevin Humphreys

Question:

357. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown by housing body of local authority mortgages issued, the number in arrears, the number in arrears of more than 90 days, more than 180 days, and over a year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44454/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

Local authorities have long provided housing loans to less affluent members of society. Section 34 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 provides local authorities with powers to deal flexibly with distressed borrowers, and they have demonstrated sensitivity over the years in this regard. My Department has issued guidelines to local authorities, based upon the Central Bank's Code of Conduct, which continue the tradition of handling arrears in a manner sympathetic to the needs of the particular household, while also protecting the position of the local authority concerned.

In particular, the introduction of a Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP), which closely mirrors the suite of options available in the commercial sector, presents borrowers in difficulty with a range of alternative payment options, which can be accessed to ease the particular circumstances of each case. These include, in cases of certain unsustainable mortgages, the facility of mortgage-to-rent. Local authorities have been restructuring loans for some time using their own internal practices. The introduction of these revised guidelines standardises the approach across the whole sector, introduces a systematic structure to this area and provides borrowers with a transparent and accessible model for arrears resolution.

The most up-to-date data held by my Department covers the second quarter of 2013, and indicates that there were 20,277 live housing loans on the books of the local authorities. Of these, 6,275 were in arrears over 90 days or more, 1, 307 were over 90 days in arrears but not yet over 180 days in arrears, with the balance of 4,968 being over 180 days in arrears. My Department does not hold data for loans in arrears in excess of a year.

The following table provides the breakdown on a local authority basis of the data requested.

County Councils	Loans over 90 days	Loans between 91 - 180 days	Loans over 180 days
Carlow	64	21	43
Cavan	88	21	67
Clare	167	32	135
Cork	362	70	292
Donegal	182	27	155
DL/Rathdown	99	15	84
Fingal	259	79	180
Galway	190	56	134
Kerry	98	37	61
Kildare	386	56	330
Kilkenny	199	61	138
Laois	300	62	238
Leitrim	32	6	26
Limerick	183	52	131
Longford	132	28	104
Louth	92	15	77
Mayo	339	60	279
Meath	81	26	55
Monaghan	98	23	75
North Tipperary	76	16	60
Offaly	105	10	95
Roscommon	60	8	52
Sligo	164	25	139
South Dublin	172	74	98
South Tipperary	160	51	109
Waterford	122	25	97
Westmeath	313	30	283
Wexford	192	48	144
Wicklow	124	21	103

City Councils	Loans over 90 days	Loans between 91 - 180 days	Loans over 180 days
Cork	179	35	144
Dublin	917	152	765
Galway	65	12	53
Limerick	89	21	68
Waterford	186	32	154
Total	6,275	1,307	4,968