Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 March 2024
652. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a local authority has the authority to make a decision to approve a local authority home loan application even after rejection by the Housing Agency for not meeting non-EU/EEA applicant residency criteria of the credit policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12382/24]
View answer653. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department or the Housing Agency ever reviewed any actuarial and statistical data in regard to the residence criteria for difference in treatment for non-EU/EEA applicants; if so, if he can provide a copy of the data along with the source of the data; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12383/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 652 and 653 together.
Further to Parliamentary Questions No. 341 of 20 February 2024 and No. 475 of 5th March 2024, to qualify for a Local Authority Home Loan an applicant must currently have a legal right to reside and work in the State. As previously advised the Credit Policy requires that applicants from outside the EEA/EU must be legally resident in Ireland for a period of 5 years or have leave to remain extending to permit 5 years reckonable residence or have indefinite leave to remain in the state.
The Housing Agency provides a central support service that assesses applications by its underwriting team 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 regarding the Local Authority Home Loan application is made by the relevant Local Authority 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 lending local authority. Further details on residency criteria and eligibility for the home loan can be found on localauthorityhomeloan.ie/eligibility/
My Department does not collect statistical data in relation to the residence criteria for non-EU/EEA applicants or any other category of applicant.
