Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 877: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the procedures in place to ensure that social or affordable housing acquired by local authorities complies fully with the relevant building, environmental, fire and safety regulations; if in the case of affordable housing a letter of assurance is issued by the relevant local authority to the purchaser indicating that the property is fully compliant with all relevant regulations; if such letters are not currently issued, if he will instruct all local authorities to do so as a matter of course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28292/08]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The Building Regulations, introduced with effect from 1 June 1992, apply to all new buildings and to existing buildings which have been the subject of a material alteration. Accordingly, in common with all developments, social and affordable housing projects must meet the relevant requirements of the Building Regulations.

The Building Control Acts 1990 to 2007 assign primary responsibility for compliance with the Building Regulations to the builders and owners of buildings. Responsibility for enforcement of the Regulations is vested in Building Control Authorities who are empowered to carry out inspections of buildings and initiate enforcement action, where appropriate. In addition, local authorities have been advised to take the necessary steps to monitor construction of social and affordable housing acquired under Part V agreements to ensure appropriate standards and the requirements of the Building Regulations are met.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 878: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will confirm that the acquisition of all affordable housing units by local authorities takes place at the prevailing market rate, that is taking into account the very significant price falls since mid 2007; if his attention has been drawn to instances where housing units have been acquired at anything more than their market value at the point of purchase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28293/08]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The costs incurred in acquiring affordable homes, with a view to their onward sale to affordable purchasers, are dependant on the manner of acquisition.

In the case of units acquired under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 — 2006, the acquisition costs are calculated in accordance with the relevant legislation. In summary, they are based on the sum of the site costs at existing use value, actual construction costs as agreed between the local authority and the developer, plus reasonable profit.

In the case of units provided under the 1999 Affordable Housing Scheme and the Affordable Housing Initiative, the acquisition costs are not related to market value as these are generally constructed on land owned by or given to the local authority. Additionally, in the case of certain 1999 Scheme units purchased directly from developers or in the direct procurement exercise operated by the Affordable Homes Partnership, substantial discounts on the prevailing market rate are achievable because multiple purchases are made.

I am not aware of instances where affordable housing units have been acquired at anything more than their market value at the point of purchase.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 879: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the sum of money allocated by each local authority for each of the past six years, including to date in 2008, for housing assistance grants for disabled persons in respect of privately owned houses; if his attention has been drawn to the demand for these grants; and that the award of such grants often means that the recipient can stay in their own home rather than needing to be permanently taken into care; if he proposes to increase these allocations for 2008 and subsequent years; if he will introduce measures to speed up the processing of grant applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28303/08]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 917: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of funding made available to each local authority for the purpose of disabled persons and essential repairs grants in the years 2000 to 2007; and the level of funding allocated during 2008 to date under the revised grant scheme. [28820/08]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Question Nos. 879 and 917 together.

The allocations to each local authority towards the operation of the Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs Grants schemes from 2000 to 2007, together with the level of combined allocations for 2008 in respect of these schemes and the revised suite of housing adaptation grant schemes introduced on 1 November 2007, are set out in the table.

The allocations made by my Department to local authorities for the operation of the schemes represent not capital grants, but the total amount which authorities are authorised to spend on the schemes, including from the resources of individual authorities, in the year in which the allocation is made. It is a matter for local authorities to decide on the specific level of funding to be directed towards each of the schemes, from within the combined allocation notified to them by my Department, and to manage the operation of the schemes in their area from within this allocation.

My Department recognises the role of the Housing Adaptation Grants in facilitating the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people or those with a disability. The revised schemes are designed to ensure that available funding is targeted at lower income households and those whose accommodation needs are greatest. In the context of the revised schemes, my Department introduced a number of features to assist local authorities in streamlining the associated administration processes. These include the introduction of panels of contractors, in order to assist applicants in obtaining quotations in a timely manner, and lists of standard costs for different types of works commonly applied for.