Nicole Ryan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I raise an urgent issue that highlights the serious administration failures of the local authority purchase and renovation loan, LAPR. This scheme was announced last June and was intended to help families purchase and renovate their homes, especially where housing has been scarce. Eight months on, however, applicants are still facing delays, misinformation and uncertainty with no clear solution in sight. I will outline one particular case in my constituency. This family had their original local authority loan approved in March 2024 and found a house in Coolduff by July. Upon seeking advice from Cork County Council, they were advised to apply for the LAPR, which went live in July 2024.They followed every instruction despite vague and unclear terminology. After months of back and forth, in November 2024 they were told they had verbal approval but were waiting for paperwork. By December, they had signed the contract with their vendor, securing the draw-down deadline which was approved for 31 January 2025. The final payment was due on 28 February. However, to date, despite receiving their loan, their mortgage package is stuck in limbo, waiting on the process between the local authority and Tailte Éireann with no clear completion. The family risks losing its deposit if the vendor withdraws. Their landlord has extended their lease out of goodwill but this is not sustainable for the family. The family has three young children. They are living in a state of constant anxiety and the threat of homelessness.

Today, I request an urgent debate with the Minister for housing on the issues with the LAPR loan. Why are there such extreme delays despite it having been introduced eight months ago? Why was no legal framework prepared before launching the scheme? What is being done to ensure people who have applied for this do not risk homelessness? What is being done to ensure applicants, such as the family I have highlighted, can be approved? I urge this House to demand accountability and immediate action. If we are serious about tackling housing issues we cannot allow broken administrative processes to fail good policies.