Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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360. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown by local authority and housing body of the number of homes they have repossessed in each year since 2010, under any lending or finance scheme they offer, indicating the numbers repossessed in each scheme mortgage, shared ownership, affordable ownership; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44457/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Local authorities have long provided housing loans to less affluent members of society. In the present economic circumstances it is to be anticipated that the ability of some borrowers to service housing loans may become restricted and that a number of loans may fall into arrears.

Section 34 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 provides local authorities with powers to deal flexibly with distressed borrowers, and they have demonstrated sensitivity over the years in dealing with such cases. In 2010 and 2012 my Department issued guidelines to local authorities, reflecting the Central Bank's Codes of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears, in consultation with the County and City Managers Association. These have facilitated local authorities in providing a range of flexible repayment options for households in difficulty, by means of the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP), which includes a suite of short term and long terms options depending on the circumstances of the borrower. It is anticipated that this initiative will allow a proportion of distressed mortgagees to restructure their repayment schedules and thereby alleviate the current pressures being felt.

Notwithstanding the flexibility shown by local authorities in dealing with borrowers in difficulty, it is inevitable that a proportion of individuals will find themselves with loans which are unsustainable in the long term, and, in these circumstances, a borrower may opt for a voluntary surrender of the property. In other cases, and increasingly where occupiers have abandoned the property, it may be necessary to regain ownership by means of legal action. In all circumstances, local authorities explore every option to avoid repossessions, and it is very much the last resort.

Data on local authority mortgage repossessions broken down by local authority is provided in the following table for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012. My Department does not collect data by loan type.

Repossessions during the period 2010-2012