Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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595. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to a previous Parliamentary Question, when details of the new 2013 tenant purchase scheme be made available; when will the new scheme be open to tenants that wish to make an application; if he will introduce a new tenant purchase scheme as at present no such scheme exists and this is totally unacceptable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27388/13]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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605. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will immediately commence a tenant purchase scheme for all council tenants in the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27514/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 595 and 605 together.

While the 1995 tenant purchase scheme for existing local authority houses closed for new applications on 31 December 2012, two incremental purchase schemes remain in operation, one for newly-built local authority houses and the other for local authority apartments. It is intended to advance the necessary legislative proposals as soon as practicable to underpin an incremental purchase scheme for existing local authority houses. Such a scheme will involve discounts for purchasing tenants linked to household income and a discount-related charge on the property that will dwindle away over a period unless the house is resold or the purchaser fails to comply with conditions of the sale. The commencement date and precise terms of the new scheme will be set out in regulations when the necessary legislation is enacted.