Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 195: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has plans to introduce legislation to enable tenants of housing associations to avail of a tenant purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29113/07]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I refer to the reply to Question No. 1117 of 26 September, 2007.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 196: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his proposals to introduce a new tenant purchase scheme for local authority tenants in view of the fact that the valuation of houses is making it impossible for the vast majority of tenants to avail of the existing scheme. [29114/07]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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To assist local authority tenants purchase their homes, a discount of 3% of the market value of the house is allowed for each year of tenancy, up to a maximum of 30%. In addition to this, a further discount of €3,809 is provided. Thus, a local authority house with a market value of €140,000 would be available for purchase at some €94,200 by a tenant of ten or more years' standing. By any account, this is a generous discount.

The proceeds of the sale of local authority houses to tenants are used to part-fund improvements to, and planned maintenance programmes in, the local authority housing stock. I consider that the terms of the present tenant purchase scheme strike a reasonable balance between the aspirations of certain tenants to own their own homes and the needs of all other local authority tenants. Nevertheless, I will continue to keep the terms of the scheme under review.