Vol. 252 No. 3
asked the Minister for Local Government if, in view of the increase in the cost of house building and the decrease in the purchasing value of the £1, he will consider raising the upper income limit for applicants for Small Dwellings Acquisition Act loans from £1,200 to £1,500 with a commensurate increase in PLV for eligible applicants.
46.
asked the Minister for Local Government why the increase in the income limit for loans for SDA dwellings does not apply to corporation tenants or those on the approved waiting list.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 45 and 46 together.
I have decided, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, to increase the yearly income limit of applicants for house-purchase loans from local authorities from £1,200 to £1,500 and the rateable valuation limit, which applies to farmers, from £50 to £60, in respect of houses commenced on or after 1st March, 1971.
In accordance with approved procedure local authorities may disregard these limits entirely in the case of an application for a loan to purchase a house from a tenant of a local authority dwelling who is prepared to surrender his tenancy. They may also disregard them in respect of applications for loans for houses which are to be built in areas where commercial lending agencies do not operate extensively and which are financed by sources other than the Local Loans Fund.
The fact that an applicant may be on the approved waiting list for a local authority dwelling does not in any way affect his eligibility for the increased limits.
