Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I compliment Deputy Ciarán Lynch on this well-crafted amendment which allows the Minister of State the opportunity to address properly an issue that has over the years caused many people who live in local authority flat complexes to question the tenant purchase scheme.

The area I represent includes the south-west inner city, which has the highest concentration of local authority flats of anywhere in Europe. Many of the people in those flats are proud of their origins and of where they live, and have spent a good deal of money doing up their homes. Some of their homes resemble palaces; a similar pride in one's home might not be evident in many of the most expensive houses in the country. These people want to continue to live in their homes, but they would like to own them.

I have always had a problem with regard to the sale of local authority housing stock. The reason for my concern is that the moneys from such sales have not been properly reinvested in other local authority housing. That said, there is a way to deal with this at local authority level. Councils could take a decision that moneys returned should be reinvested or they should purchase or build 1.5 homes for every home sold. There should be a mechanism in place.

That should not prevent us from looking at all of the problems, anomalies and challenges of allowing people to purchase flats. Quite a bit of work has been done on this Bill which addresses some of those issues. There are still significant challenges out there, in terms of shared balconies, charges and the like, and I wish those who will be dealing with them at local authority level the best in trying to deal with the intricacies of the challenges.

This is a fair mechanism within the restrictions often put in amendments to allow the Minister to examine the issue again and reward these people for their patience in trying to deal with the discrimination that has occurred. Everybody else in local authority housing was able to benefit from the Millennium scheme. I have been dealing with some who did not benefit from it and are still looking for homes to be sold to them at the price they were offered some time ago.

People have waited and have asked local authorities time and again for permission to buy. I do not know how many questions I have asked about this since I was elected in 2002, but once or twice a year I have asked what the delay was in addressing the tenant purchase scheme for flats. It is appropriate that some recognition is given to the people who went to the trouble of recording their desire to purchase the flats. Everybody else can be dealt with in the normal scheme of things set out here and that is important.

It is important we are moving to that stage because it will create a better environment in many flat complexes, where there will be a mix of those who own their own flats and those who are living in local authority housing. That mix of people has worked well in the housing schemes, such as Part V and others, across the city. It creates challenges for everyone but it is the way forward and that has been accepted by everyone.

The only alternative I can see to the discount suggested is that the Minister of State agree that the sale price be set at the market value at the time these people expressed an interest. That would create a significant burden, namely, trying to figure out what the price was on a certain date ten or 15 years ago. That is why I am inclined towards setting a discount based on the time at which the people expressed an interest. Hopefully the Minister of State will be able take to it on board, even at this late stage, because it does not force him to do anything today. Rather, he can produce a directive or a regulation to the local authorities in line with what is proposed in this amendment.

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