Pat Deering
Ceist:1055. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to introduce an incentive, tax or other, for persons to downsize their homes (details supplied). [12662/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 20 March 2018
Ceisteanna (1055)
Freagraí scríofa
The issue of the possible introduction of tax incentives is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Finance.
My Department is committed to supporting older people to live in their own home with dignity and independence for as long as possible, as this has the best outcomes both for the individual and for society as a whole. Rebuilding Ireland aims to ensure that older people have a range of housing choices available to them and there is an overall commitment to examine the potential of targeted schemes to meet differing housing needs. To this end, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Health, is developing policy options for supported housing/housing with care so that older people have a wider range of accommodation choices available to them, options that will enable them to choose accommodation that is appropriate and suited to their needs. It is against this wider policy context that ways to promote the availability of step-down, specialist housing for older people and to incentivise down-sizing, where appropriate, are being explored. Both Departments have been working together with key stakeholders over the past number of months to develop a joint policy statement in this area. I expect that this Statement will be finalised in the near future.
It should be noted that local authorities are already involved in projects to enable older persons to downsize from accommodation that has become too large for them. The financial contribution scheme is a scheme operated by Dublin City Council which facilitated older people to downsize, thus potentially freeing up these larger homes for use as family units. The scheme is currently under review by the City Council. Cork City Council have a similar 'downsizing scheme' for both social housing tenants and private home owners and other local authorities are considering options for similar schemes. The Annamore Court development, completed in Ballyfermot, Dublin in 2017, is a recent example of a scheme that successfully incorporated downsizing options.