Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

I wish to introduce this short Bill and my colleagues, with whom I will share time, will elaborate on its contents and the reasons behind it. They have suggestions which I hope the Minister will consider when initiating a review of the tenant purchase scheme which came into effect earlier this year under the previous Government. It was welcomed at the time because we had not had one since 2012. When one considers the number who have availed of it to date, just 73, it begs the question as to its effect or the restrictive nature and conditions associated with it. It would appear they are quite evident based on the representations I have had from my constituents and from many colleagues in my party who have raised the issue of the restrictive nature of it in regard to incomes and age barriers over the last number of months. However, my colleagues will elaborate on these.

If this Bill is accepted, it will give all tenants in local authority owned social housing an opportunity to purchase their homes. It will give tenants in local authority homes acquired under Part V specifically the option to apply to seek to purchase that home. Those tenants in Part V homes were excluded from the Government’s recently introduced tenant purchase scheme under the guise of preserving mixed tenure in these developments, many of which date back to 2002. They number almost 4,000 at this stage.

A clear path to home ownership should not be the sole preserve of the private market. Owning a home is a vital asset for families and represents a positive transfer of wealth towards low income groups. Mixed tenure housing estates are a key part of the Fianna Fáil vision for strong families and stable, thriving communities. However, the exclusion of Part V houses by the Government in its tenant purchase scheme discriminates against lower income households in mixed communities.

The Bill, if accepted, will give local authority tenants the right to make a long-term investment in their community by owning their own homes. Far from depleting the social housing stock in an area, the sale of local authority homes via the tenant purchase scheme actually provides an opportunity to replenish and enhance the public housing stock anew. That is especially pertinent, considering the launch yesterday by the Minister, on behalf of the Government, of the housing strategy. The aspirations contained within the strategy seek to replenish our stock and to address the stop gaps and the failings of previous strategies and plans by seeking to do what had been originally promised. We wish that strategy well. We debated it yesterday and will continue to do so this evening when my colleagues will contribute to the debate. They will highlight not only the positive aspects within the strategy but also some of the gaps. We will seek to implore on the Government to close those gaps before budget.

The tenant purchase scheme releases equity from the sale of council owned homes and removes the costs associated with the maintenance and upkeep of those homes, funding which can then be reinvested in new social housing. I would expect that any sales from tenant purchase schemes to date and into the future, including Part V, should be retained by the local authority in which the tenants reside. There should be discretionary spending within the housing departments of the local authorities to ensure adequate funds are in place to meet the maintenance demands of other housing stock - in the case of those tenants who are not in a position to seek to purchase their home at that time.

My colleagues will elaborate and will raise other issues on the Bill. I seek support for the Bill so Part V occupants can purchase their homes.

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