Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 517: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of persons purchasing under the affordable housing scheme since 1999 to date; the amount of rent subsidy awarded under the affordable housing scheme form 1999 to date; the number of applicants obtaining the subsidy to date; the income thresholds for qualifying for the subsidy to date; and the income limit to qualify for an affordable housing purchase to date. [23414/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Details of the number of houses completed under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-04 are published in my Department's housing statistics bulletins. Information is already available up to September quarter 2004, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas library. Information will shortly be available up to end-2004 in the 2004 annual housing statistics bulletin. Data relevant to the question is also available on the Department's website at www.environ.ie.

A rent subsidy does not operate for all affordable housing but only for cases in which shared ownership arrangements are involved. This subsidy is payable to qualifying households based on income bands and applies to rent payments for that portion of the equity not yet purchased.

The qualifying income limits and the amounts of the rent subsidy were increased four years ago for all transactions completed on or after 15 June 2000. They are now set as follows:

In July 2004, I announced significant improvements to the loan and income eligibility limits for shared ownership and affordable housing schemes. The revised income limit was increased to €36,800 for a single income household and €92,000 for a two-income household, while the maximum loan that may be advanced for a local authority house purchase is €165,000. In addition, the period for which local authorities may advance loans has been extended from 25 years to 30 years.

The information sought in the matter of applicants in receipt of rent subsidy is set out in the following table.