Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

78. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the extent to which he has liaised with the various local authorities to determine the progress to date in achieving or exceeding the targets identified in his Rebuilding Ireland action programme with particular reference to the local authorities in the greater Dublin area in County Kildare; if, in view of the ever increasing demand for local authority houses he may find it necessary to broaden the scope and scale of the programme to include; the reintroduction of accessible local authority house building loans, the development of private service sites on which applicants of an appropriate income level may build their own homes and where possible the facilitation of those in rural areas with access to their own sites who may also be in a position to provide their own houses, thereby maximising the opportunities in the housing area with obvious social and economic benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35420/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department is liaising on an ongoing basis with the various local authorities, including Kildare County Council and the other councils in the greater Dublin area, in relation to progress in delivering on the targets identified in Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. There is already a strong pipeline of new social housing delivery projects in place nationally, involving both local authorities and approved housing bodies and that pipeline is being added to through the enhanced targets under Rebuilding Ireland. My Department will remain engaged with all local authorities to support the increased and accelerated delivery of social housing.

In regard to assisting people with building/purchasing their own homes, a standard annuity mortgage is available from local authorities targeted at lower income first time buyers. The loan can be up to 97% of the price of the house subject to a maximum loan of €200,000. A local authority mortgage is an annuity mortgage with variable interest rates so repayments can go up and down in line with interest rate changes. The Housing (Local Authority Loans) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 408 of 2012) prescribe in detail the terms and conditions applicable to local authority housing loans. Key eligibility criteria provide that a loan applicant must be a first time buyer and must be able to show their local authority that they cannot get a loan from a bank or building society. Also, the gross income (before tax) of a single income household in the previous year must be €50,000 or less and the combined gross income (before tax) of a two - income household in the previous year must be €75,000 or less.

Another option is the Home Choice Loan, a Government backed mortgage for First Time Buyers. First time buyers can apply for a Home Choice Loan to purchase a new or second hand property or build their own home. Home Choice Loan provides up to 92% of the market value of a property purchased. The maximum loan amount is €285,000. The loan is a normal capital and interest bearing mortgage which is repaid on a monthly basis. Home Choice Loan offers one variable interest rate. The rate is currently set at 3.25% variable, APR 3.30%. Further information is available at .

Serviced sites initiatives have been successful in the past in enabling people with the means to build their own homes, but without access to a suitable site, to meet their housing requirement while also contributing to urban and village rejuvenation. Actions 5.12 and 5.13 of Rebuilding Irelandare aimed at ensuring that a range of demonstration projects and brown field development opportunities are progressed by local authorities as part of their public housing building programmes. The potential of a serviced site programme will be considered in the context of the progression of these actions in tandem with wider land supply actions, such as the commitment set out in Action 3.5 to prepare a National Land Supply Management Strategy.