Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 June 2017
2159. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the tenant purchase scheme and persons having to provide proof of payment for Irish Water domestic bills to local authorities with their application; if he will amend this criteria for qualification for the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26739/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe new Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme for existing local authority houses came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum, have been in receipt of social housing support for at least one year and have been allocated a house under a local authority allocation scheme.
The requirement to pay water charges is a condition under the scheme and is reflected in legislation. Section 3(A)(9) of the Water Services Act 2014 (inserted by Section 48 of the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015) provides that a person who is a tenant of a dwelling let to him/her under the Housing Acts 1966 to 2014 and who proposes to purchase the dwelling shall before completion of the sale provide the local authority concerned with a certificate of discharge from Irish Water confirming that any charge under section 21 of the No. 2 Act 2013 in respect of the dwelling owed to Irish Water has been paid. The sale of the dwelling cannot proceed until a certificate of discharge in respect of the dwelling has been received from Irish Water.
The Oireachtas has approved the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services and I am committed to legislating on the recommendations. My Department is working on legislative proposals in line with the recommendations of the report, including in relation to the position of those who have paid and have not paid water charges.
In line with the commitment given in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, a review of the first 12 months of the Tenant Purchase scheme’s operation has been undertaken. The review has incorporated analysis of comprehensive data received from local authorities regarding the operation of the scheme during 2016 and a wide-ranging public consultation process which saw submissions received from individuals, elected representatives and organisations.
The review is now complete and a full report setting out findings and recommendations has been prepared. Following consultation with relevant Departments on implementation arrangements, I expect that definitive proposals will be submitted to me very shortly.
