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Dáil
‹ Questions on Promised Legislation

Tenant purchase and modular housing

Summary

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae seeks changes to the tenant purchase scheme so more pensioners can qualify, and also asks about funding for modular or rapid-build homes. The Housing Minister says the scheme is under review and that funding is available to councils for such housing.

The provision of housing is one of the main aims of this Government, and it is in the programme for Government. The tenant purchase scheme was a vital part of housing in all local authorities. For a number of years we did not have a tenant purchase scheme. In the past three years, a new tenant purchase scheme was introduced but only 80% of applicants are qualifying for the scheme. Pensioners have savings, and have spent years in their houses, yet they do not qualify for the scheme that will allow them purchase their house. I want the Minister to do something about that.

I have a question about another aspect of housing. The Minister said he would provide funding for emergency housing, namely, demountable homes, in our local authority area. I hear from people every day that the Department is refusing, delaying and not providing money for this vital housing need. The people who are seeking demountable homes have the space to put them in place. People in Dublin are buying expensive sites and so on but the people in our county have the space to erect a demountable home. I have been told that the Department is not allocating funding to our local authority to buy these demountable homes.

Comment on this
Eoghan Murphy Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Fine Gael

I thank the Deputy for the questions. The tenant purchase scheme is currently under review and that review will conclude in the coming months.

On funding for what one might call a demountable or modular home or rapid build, funding is available from the Department for every county council. If the Deputy has a specific site or case about which he is concerned, I ask him to bring it to my attention and I will raise it with the council directly.

Comment on this