Vol. 470 No. 1
201 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for the Environment if he will consider permitting rural resettlement becoming a new local authority housing option due to its significant contribution and potential to the built and social environment. [18677/96]
The housing aims of Rural Resettlement Ireland have my full support. Since 1992, my Department has approved grants totalling £215,000 towards the administrative and general expenses of RRI in respect of their housing-related activities, including £60,000 this year. RRI have also been granted approved body status for the purposes of the voluntary housing capital assistance and rental subsidy schemes and are providing a number of houses under these schemes.
Households moving under the RRI programme may be eligible for local authority house purchase loans or shared ownership, and the deposit requirement under the latter scheme has been eased in these cases. The mortgage allowance and improvement works-in-lieu schemes can also be used to assist families wishing to resettle in a rural area.
In addition, a new resettlement mortgage jointly funded by the Housing Finance Agency (through the local authority), Bank of Ireland, and RRI was introduced on 1 July 1996 on a pilot basis. This new mortgage will assist qualifying families to resettle permanently by purchasing and restoring, where necessary, existing houses.
The significant support provided by my Department to RRI means that their programme can already be regarded as one of the range of social housing options now available. However, as I have indicated previously, I do not have proposals to provide for an additional "surrender" grant along the lines envisaged by RRI.
