568. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how many home loan grants have been awarded by each local authority to those that qualified for the croí cónaithe grant and applied for the home loan grant, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44405/24]

On 5 June 2024 , I received Government approval to introduce the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan (LAPR).  The Statutory Instrument underlying the scheme came into effect on 22 July 2024.

The LAPR is an expansion of the Local Authority Home Loan, and supports the purchase and/or renovation of homes which are eligible for the existing Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. It is for creditworthy first-time buyers and fresh start applicants who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase and/or renovate a derelict or vacant property. The introduction of the LAPR loan supports the Government's policy of bring vacant homes back into use. Eligibility for the loan is subject to applicants meeting existing local authority mortgage eligibility criteria, as well as the renovation project meeting the scheme's lending criteria.

Information on LAPR drawdowns will be compiled as part of the normal local authority quarterly reporting process. As the scheme only opened in July 2024, these quarterly reports are not yet available.