Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy asked about the numbers. When I announced the scheme I said that we had identified land and finance for at least 3,000 homes under the affordable purchase scheme, but our ambition is for 10,000 homes. Asking local authorities to identify more land that could be made available for those homes was part of our engagement under the housing summit. The way the scheme is being set up, with local authorities taking an equity stake rather than the discount taken, it will produce a rolling fund for the affordable scheme so they can continue to reinvest in affordable housing. I will explain how we got to the figure of 3,000. Under the local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF, which is the current scheme we are progressing through, between 1,700 and 1,800 homes will be made available. With the €25 million secured in the budget for this year and next some 600 to 800 affordable homes will be made available under the affordable purchase scheme. Some 120 homes in O'Devaney Gardens and 450 units in the Poolbeg strategic development zone project, SDZ may come under the affordable purchase scheme. We also looked at areas such as St. Michael's estate and Oscar Traynor Road, which provide potential for another 210 homes under the affordable purchase scheme. This significant number of units has been identified but the ambition is for more.

We also need to be realistic. If we look back to 2007 we see that the Part 5 affordable scheme delivered over 3,000 homes in that year but it was the only year it went over 3,000 homes. That was during a year when we were building more than 70,000 homes across the State. As we reintroduce affordability, we need to do it in a way that we can scale up quickly while being realistic in our ambitions.

Deputy Cowen asked about the criteria around accessibility. The income limit for a couple is €75,000 and it is €50,000 for a single person. The scheme will be administered through the local authority. I will use the provisions under the 2009 Act and will set regulations off the back of that. As I have said at the Oireachtas joint committee, I welcome contributions. I am hearing differing opinions as to how people might access this scheme. When I spoke with residents about the Poolbeg SDZ they said they wanted provisions made for local people to be able to access the affordable housing scheme. When I spoke with people who were not from the area they said they wanted to make sure they also had access to the scheme. I have met with housing bodies, such as Ó Cualann, to see how they had set eligibility criteria for co-operative housing schemes. We need to bring about a general scheme that will work for the whole country and all these sites. We are not just talking about Dublin, Cork and Galway. I have tasked all local authorities to come back with relevant sites to do this. I welcome any input. We have some time to get the scheme and the criteria right and for the local authorities to roll it out.

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