Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. The families and individuals I am talking about are being sent from pillar to post. They are not being given adequate responses from anyone. They are not being shown the respect they deserve. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has been in contact with residents and told them that the decision to sell homes to residents is one for individual housing associations. The individual housing associations say it is not up to them. It is clear that mechanisms should be put in place to fulfil the promise that housing associations can actually make that decision. The residents need to have a clear direction on how they can purchase houses under approved housing schemes and under what criteria that can happen. From what the Minister of State said, I gather that approved housing bodies can make that decision but I assume the Department has some role relating to the criteria and we need to work on that.

I will briefly raise another issue. Some tenants are being moved from permanent homes to leased homes without security of tenure although they remain members of a particular AHB. I thank the Minister of State for his answer. He has provided some clarity. I look forward to continuing to work with the Department, the council and the residents.