Vol. 527 No. 5
175 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government in relation to circular H05/00A, regarding revised limits for social housing options, notified to housing authorities on 29 June 2000, the location and number of dwellings affected by these regulations in respect of the low cost scheme. [29046/00]
176 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government in relation to circular H05/00A, regarding revised limits for social housing options, notified to housing auth orities on 29 June 2000, when the necessary amending regulations were made and sent to local authorities. [29047/00]
177 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if, in relation to circular H05/00A, revised limits for social housing options, notified to housing authorities on 29 June 2000, he will review his decision in relation to Ballyowen Lane Home Ownership Co-op in view of the fact that this project was undertaken and developed to date within an agreed framework of understanding with South Dublin County Council that the sites would be transferred on completion of the scheme at £100 freehold and that it is unfair and unjust to change the terms unilaterally at the final stages of a three year project. [29048/00]
178 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if, in relation to circular H05/00A, revised limits for social housing options, notified to housing authorities on 29 June 2000, he will review his decision in relation to Ballyowen Lane Home Ownership Co-op in view of the fact that the members of the Co-op would willingly have purchased the sites at any stage during development of the scheme except that South Dublin County Council withheld disposal of the sites for the council's protection in order to ensure the scheme was fully completed. [29049/00]
179 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if, in relation to circular H05/00A, revised limits for social housing options, notified to housing authorities on 29 June 2000, he will review his decision in relation to Ballyowen Lane Home Ownership Co-op in view of the fact that the written confirmation from South Dublin County Council that the sites would be transferred at £100 per site was accepted by the co-op members as a binding agreement which would not be reneged upon, withdrawn or altered. [29050/00]
180 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if, in relation to circular H05/00A, revised limits for social housing options, notified to housing authorities on 29 June 2000, he will review his decision in relation to Ballyowen Lane Home Ownership Co-op in view of the fact that the written commitment from South Dublin County Council was accepted by lending agencies and that the changes have put in jeopardy the mortgage arrangements entered into. [29051/00]
181 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if, in relation to circular H05/00A, revised limits for social housing options, notified to housing authorities on 29 June 2000, he will review his decision in relation to Ballyowen Lane Home Ownership Co-op in view of the fact that the changes have put the co-op members in a vulnerable financial situation due to the amount of money already expended and the initiation of legal proceedings by the builder. [29052/00]
182 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if, in relation to circular H05/00A, revised limits for social housing options, notified to housing authorities on 29 June 2000, he will review his decision in relation to Ballyowen Lane Home Ownership Co-op in view of the fact that the co-op members are being required to enter into an open ended financial undertaking which is contrary to their rights as consumers. [29053/00]
183 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if, in relation to circular H05/00A, revised limits for social housing options, notified to housing authorities on 29 June 2000, he will review his decision in relation to Ballyowen Lane Home Ownership Co-op in view of the fact that any members of the co-op who because of the changes cannot continue in the scheme will be at a serious financial loss of at least £20,000. [29054/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 to 183, inclusive, together.
Local authorities operate a sale of sites scheme which is designed to assist people in need of housing to obtain sites from their local authority at low cost and to provide for their housing needs, either individually or through co-operative or voluntary housing bodies. Under the terms of circular H05/00 of 15 June 2000 a subsidy was, inter alia, introduced by my Department to assist local authorities in the provision of such sites to eligible applicants. In addition a claw-back provision related to the difference between the market value of the site and the price at which the site was made available to the applicant was introduced with effect from 15 June 2000. Subsequently, a clarification in respect of the terms of the claw-back provision was issued by circular H05/00A of 29 June which substantially restated the original provisions of circular H05/00 of 15 June 2000. The provision of a subsidy financed from public funds is necessary to encourage and assist local authorities to make sites available at low cost to eligible households seeking to attain home ownership while the provision for a claw-back is also necessary to ensure that there is no short-term profiteering on the resale of a house provided on a subsidised site.
My Department are currently preparing regulations providing for the site subsidy and claw-back provisions. In this context, transitional arrangements will be introduced which will provide that the claw-back provision will not apply where a formal written offer of a site was made by the local authority to an applicant on or before 15 June 2000. These transitional arrangements will apply in the case of the Ballyowen Lane Co-op. Information on the number and location of dwellings affected by the new arrangements is not available in my Department.
