1801. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a local authority (details supplied) can refuse a tenant (incremental) purchase scheme application on the basis that retrofit works have been carried out on the home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60395/26]

The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme is open to eligible tenants of existing local authority houses that are available for sale under the scheme. The scheme is underpinned by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, as amended.

Whilst the Act and Regulations provide for a number of specified classes of houses to be excluded from sale under the scheme, the legislation which underpins the scheme does not specifically exclude houses that have been recently retrofitted from sale under the scheme. That said, local authorities may within the rules of the scheme, exclude houses or groups of houses in the interest of proper management of the authority’s stock of housing accommodation. This gives local authorities the remit to develop their own policies as to which classes of house may be excluded from sale from the scheme, provided that these policies are consistent with the act and regulations which underpin the scheme.

Such decisions are a matter entirely for local authorities having regard to their individual housing requirements.