Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

As for the last point, Government policy is to have integrated and sustainable communities. Consequently, I assure the House there is no question of either my Department or the front-line Department reverting to the old position of having local authority estates. Housing developments must be sustainable communities and this remains the policy of the Department.

As for the new Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, it provides a more developed legislative basis for the rental accommodation scheme, RAS. It provides for the general terms and conditions that should be included in local authority agreements with accommodation providers, as well as the terms to be provided in the tenancy agreement between the accommodation provider and the RAS tenant. The Bill also provides for termination of these agreements and the payment of a rent contribution by the tenant to the housing authority. The payment of this contribution by the tenant is an obligation of the tenancy agreement. The Bill updates the powers of local authorities to specify rents, clarifying these cover both the rents of dwellings of their own and those which they lease, including arrangements made under the rental accommodation scheme.

Moreover, when the Bill comes before the Dáil, I intend to incorporate a provision within it for a scheme for the purchase of apartments or flats. This request has been on the table for a long time and we await some clearance from the Attorney General's office in this regard. If this happens and hopefully it will, obviously it will give rise to a mix of public and private apartments and flats. At that point, some form of arrangement will be required between the public and private sectors as regards the management for public areas, roofing and so on.

See this speech in context