Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
850. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 541 of 18 January 2023, if he will amend the terms and conditions of the tenant purchase scheme to include income from the rural social scheme when purchasing a rural local authority house; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17984/23]
View answerThe Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme.
The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides that the Minister may set out a minimum reckonable income required to purchase under the scheme. In determining an applicant's reckonable income, local authorities are directed to disregard income that is considered non-permanent, including the Rural Social Scheme.
As set out in the reply to Question No. 541 of 18 January 2023, given the recent removal of the six-year time limit for participants of the Rural Social Scheme, it may be appropriate to consider income from the Rural Social Scheme as a reckonable income under the Tenant Purchase Scheme.
The position remains that changes in relation to income disregards may be considered together with other potential changes to the scheme which are currently being examined by my Department as part of the work on the broader social housing reform agenda.
