Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 494: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if unsold affordable houses are to be made available for purchase under the incremental purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30896/10]

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 495: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the classifications of properties that can be bought under the incremental purchase scheme; the way payment and costs will be met for the portion of the property that is not purchased by the applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30897/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 494 and 495 together.

Part 3 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 provides for an incremental purchase scheme in respect of newly-built houses reserved by housing authorities and approved housing bodies for the purpose. I recently made the necessary regulations bringing the scheme into operation from 14 June 2010.

The Regulations allow incremental purchase arrangements to be applied to new housing units, including unsold affordable houses in approved circumstances, with the following exceptions:

· dwellings that had not been designated for incremental purchase at the time the dwelling was allocated to a household in need of social housing support;

· dwellings specifically designed for occupation by older persons;

· dwellings specifically designed for members of the travelling community in a group setting;

· dwellings transferred to local authorities under section 96 of the Planning & Development Act 2000 for the purposes of providing social housing, and

· caravans, mobile homes or structures capable of being moved.

It is a matter for each individual housing authority to determine which of its housing units, in accordance with the Regulations, it will make available for sale under the scheme.

Houses sold by housing authorities and approved bodies under the scheme will have been provided by the authority or body through their main construction/acquisition programme which is fully funded by the State through annual capital allocations. There will therefore be no monies outstanding to the housing authority or approved body on sale other than the monies due to be paid by the purchaser.