Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 1326: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has received from Dublin City Council, a proposal for the sale of local authority apartments to existing tenants; when the file was received; if he has studied the proposal; his views on whether the principal that local authority tenants in apartment complexes be allowed to purchase their homes using the method that applies to tenants of local authority houses; the time-table for accepting the proposal, with or without changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26081/05]

Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 1389: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on Dublin City Council's proposed scheme for the sale of flats; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25158/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1326 and 1389 together.

Tenant purchase schemes have been an important feature of housing policy for many years and have made a significant contribution to improving the social mix within housing estates as well as meeting the aspirations of many tenants to own their own homes. The sale of local authority flats, however, raises difficult legal, contractual and management issues that need to be carefully considered before any final decision on the introduction of a new purchase scheme is made.

On 29 June 2005, Dublin City Council wrote to my Department setting out details of proposals to extend the tenant purchase scheme to the sale of flats. This followed draft proposals submitted in June 2004 to my Department, which were examined by a working group set up between the Department and local authorities. My Department is currently reviewing these proposals which are being considered in the context of the examination of the range of social housing policy issues raised by NESC in the report, Housing in Ireland: Performance and Policy.