Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This scheme is potentially very dangerous because local authorities do not have a large housing stock, numbering only 110,000 units at present, with a further 30,000 social housing units under the control of the approved housing bodies. There is an enormous shortage of local authority housing. My party is not opposed to a tenant purchase scheme but we believe that any such scheme must be progressive. The previous scheme had both strengths and weaknesses. Part V units are being excluded from the new scheme arbitrarily and the Minister of State's explanation for this does not hold water. A tenant who has been in a dwelling for only one year could get a 60% discount while another tenant who has been living in a local authority house for 40 years who has a gross income of €30,000.01 would only be entitled to a 40% discount. There is no recognition of the thousands of euro paid in rent over the years.

The old scheme was better in that there was little incentive to buy early. Tenants moved in, got well settled in an area and a community formed before the houses were sold off. A quick sale is not a good thing in this context.

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