Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I commend her and the Government on the stimulus package being put in place to provide improvements to local authority housing stock. Up to €50 million will be made available under this package and this is most welcome. I respect what the previous speaker said but this money will enable much of the work he mentioned to be carried out on housing stock that is in poor condition and provide for extensions where families have increased in number. This package will generate work and kick-start local economies with construction workers returning to employment. It will be a worthwhile and excellent scheme. I look forward to some of the money coming to south Tipperary and I will speak to the Minister of State about that.

While I welcome the legislation, I have a number of queries. It is fair that people pay based on their income. Properties are being assessed currently but different rates apply in the same local authority area because the property values are different, for example, in a town.

Houses on one housing estate may have a different valuation than on another and, hence, newer estates will attract different rents than older ones under the differential rent scheme. It is welcome that local councillors are being given discretion in this area. How much discretion will there be to differentiate between those who move into local authority housing that is five years old as opposed to older houses such as those in my estate which was built in 1939? Currently, there is a difference between the rents payable on both types of estate. One person may be living in a fully modern house, while another may be living in a house that is 70 or 80 years old. Will the Minister of State elaborate on the discretion that applies?

How will the scheme apply across the country? In Dublin and other cities the facilities made available to people are better than those in rural areas where there may be isolated cottages and no public transport. All of these points were factored into the existing differential rent scheme. The Minister of State mentioned discretion. Will she expand on what she means by "discretion" that is to be exercised by local elected members?

How long will the transition period be? How will it operate? Harmonisation would probably be good for some and not for others. With regard to people who are adjusting, how long will the transition period be? It is not clear from what I read in the legislation or the explanatory memorandum. I would greatly appreciate it if the Minister of State answered these questions.

Senator Aideen Hayden has welcomed the fact that the Government intends to introduce a new tenant purchase scheme. It is very important that people believe they have the opportunity to purchase their own house, put down roots and keep their house for future generations. In this way, they will not be concerned about the loss of the family history associated with their house on their passing away.