Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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546. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the housing supports available in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3790/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Regulations. As Minister, I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any case being dealt with by a housing authority.

The suite of social housing supports available to assist households is being expanded with the introduction of the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme , under which a housing authority will pay rent up to a maximum limit to the landlord of private rented accommodation sourced by a qualified household and the household will pay an income-related rent contribution to the authority. The scheme is being piloted by a number of housing authorities, including a pilot in Dublin City and County for certain classes of homeless households, and will continue to be rolled out across the country this year.

Housing authorities make available 2 types of house purchase loan to assist households to purchase their first home: standard annuity loans targeted at lower-income first- time buyers and loans under the Home Choice Loan scheme, which are available to qualifying middle-income first-time buyers. All applicants must complete a housing loan application form which can be downloaded from the relevant local authority’s website. The terms and conditions governing the operation, including eligibility terms, of annuity mortgages and the Home Choice Loan are set out under the Housing (Home Choice Loan) Regulations 2009, and the Housing (Local Authority Loans) Regulations 2012. These are also available on my Department’s website at the following link: .

The final decision on loan applications is a matter for the authority concerned and its credit committee, in accordance with the relevant Regulations.