Niall Collins (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 221: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason applicants for local authority affordable housing are assessed on their earnings only, not including their capital and other assets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23903/08]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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Eligibility for the affordable housing schemes is determined on the basis that applicants are in need of housing and cannot afford to purchase a house outright on the open market. In addition, local authorities assess an eligible applicant's income to ensure that they have the ability to meet the financial commitments involved.

In the case of affordable housing provided under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2006, the legislation provides that each local authority must draw up a scheme of allocation priorities and that it should have regard to, inter alia, the income or other financial circumstances of eligible persons. It is open to a local authority to accord a higher priority to eligible persons with lower incomes.

Niall Collins (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 222: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of affordable housing applicants currently with each local authority; the number of applicants who have been offered and have taken up an affordable house in each local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23909/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Information on affordable housing activity up to the end of 2007 is available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. Information is also published in my Department's Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library. My Department is collating data on output for the first quarter of 2008, which will be published in the near future.

The timing of assessments of eligibility of applicants for affordable housing varies between local authorities. Accordingly, it is not possible to provide a definitive figure for the number of eligible applicants at a particular time.