Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 March 2024
400. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the local authority home loan scheme; the number of successful and unsuccessful applicants to date, by each local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10195/24]
View answer401. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 284 of 28 March 2023, if his Department is collecting data on the number of applications, both successful and unsuccessful within the age category of 45 to 70 years for the local authority home loan scheme from commencement of the scheme to date; the number of successful and unsuccessful applications for the scheme to each local authority for each year to date, by age of applicants between age 45 and 55 years and between the ages of 55 and 70, respectively, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10196/24]
View answer402. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of successful and unsuccessful non-EU/non-EEA applications for the local authority home loan scheme for each year to date, in tabular form. [10197/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 400, 401 and 402 together.
The Local Authority Home Loan (LAHL) is a Government-backed mortgage for creditworthy applicants who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build.
The Housing Agency provides a central support service that assesses applications for the Local Authority Home Loan on behalf of local authorities and makes recommendations to the authorities to approve or refuse applications.
The final decision on loan approval is a matter for the relevant local authority and its Credit Committee on a case-by-case basis. Decisions on all housing loan applications must be made in accordance with the Regulations establishing the scheme and the Credit Policy that underpins the scheme, in order to ensure prudence and consistency in approaches in the best interests of both borrowers and the lenders, the local authorities.
The most recent figures provided by the Agency on the number of valid Local Authority Home Loan applications that it has assessed for each local authority from 4 January 2022 up to the end of January 2024 are set out in the below table:
|
Local Authority |
Applications Assessed |
Recommended to Approve |
|
Carlow County Council |
62 |
22 |
|
Cavan County Council |
49 |
20 |
|
Clare County Council |
81 |
37 |
|
Cork City Council |
190 |
68 |
|
Cork County Council |
401 |
148 |
|
Donegal County Council |
43 |
20 |
|
Dublin City Council |
374 |
229 |
|
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council |
78 |
38 |
|
Fingal County Council |
300 |
165 |
|
Galway City Council |
105 |
65 |
|
Galway County Council |
146 |
59 |
|
Kerry County Council |
112 |
34 |
|
Kildare County Council |
188 |
81 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
83 |
47 |
|
Laois County Council |
75 |
36 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
33 |
8 |
|
Limerick City & County Council |
92 |
45 |
|
Longford County Council |
59 |
33 |
|
Louth County Council |
184 |
66 |
|
Mayo County Council |
52 |
24 |
|
Meath County Council |
222 |
154 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
67 |
14 |
|
Offaly County Council |
43 |
19 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
74 |
22 |
|
Sligo County Council |
50 |
15 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
195 |
88 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
95 |
41 |
|
Waterford City & County Council |
177 |
37 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
63 |
29 |
|
Wexford County Council |
142 |
53 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
156 |
52 |
My Department publishes information on the number and value of (i) local authority loan approvals and (ii) local authority loan drawdowns. Local authority approval means that an official letter of offer has been sent to a borrower (and therefore relates to a specific property and loan amount). Information on drawdowns, approvals, average drawdowns, and average approvals for the Local Authority Home Loan is available on my Department’s website at the following link, which is updated as soon as figures are available: www.gov.ie/en/collection/42d2f-local-authority-loan-activity/#local-authority-loans-approvedpaid
Statistics in relation to specific age profile or the citizenship status of applicants for the Local Authority Home Loan are not collected by my Department.
