Vol. 531 No. 3
278 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the rules or regulations of his Department which prevent houses provided under the rental subsidy scheme from being offered for a tenant purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5443/01]
There is no provision in the rental subsidy scheme for the purchase of individual houses by tenants. A tenant purchase scheme for rental subsidy houses is not desirable at this stage of the development of the voluntary housing sector in this country as the sale of individual housing units would undermine the capacity and resources of voluntary housing bodies to manage and maintain their estates and continue to provide further housing projects to meet pressing needs.
Residents of rental subsidy houses of more than one year's duration who wish to become owner occupiers, on surrendering their house to the approved body, may qualify for the following benefits: a special mortgage allowance of £9,000 over five years to assist with mortgage repayments; the shared ownership scheme without having to satisfy the income eligibility criteria; improvement works in lieu scheme in respect of the dwelling they are acquiring; low cost housing sites scheme; and exemption from the income limit for local authority housing loans. Full details of these options are available from local authorities.
