Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 22 Jan 1997

Vol. 473 No. 4

Written Answers. - Resettlement Incentives.

Cecilia Keaveney

Ceist:

289 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for the Environment the incentives currently available to address the issue of rural depopulation and encourage rural regeneration and resettlement in areas like County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1702/97]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Ms McManus)

Responsibility for western development and rural renewal rests primarily with the Minister of State with responsibility for western development and rural renewal.

With regard to the housing aspects of rural resettlement, my Department has paid the following grants towards the administrative and general expenses of Rural Resettlement Ireland in respect of its housing-related activities.

1992	£10,000
1993	£40,000
1994	£50,000
1995	£55,000
1996	£60,000

RRI has also been granted approved body status for the purposes of the voluntary housing capital assistance and rental subsidy schemes and is 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 rural areas.

In addition, a new resettlement mortgage jointly funded by the Housing Finance Agency, through the local authority, Bank of Ireland, and RRI was introduced last July on a pilot basis. This new mortgage will assist qualifying families to resettle permanently by purchasing and restoring, where necessary, existing houses and I understand that the first mortgages under this scheme will be completed shortly.