Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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65. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on the proposed affordable purchase shared equity scheme under the affordable housing Bill in particular its interaction with the Central Bank’s mortgage lending measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3387/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government, ‘Our Shared Future’, clearly lays out our commitment to putting affordability at the heart of the housing system. Government approved priority drafting of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020 on 22 December 2020, the General Scheme of which I published on 20 January last.

The Bill includes provisions to underpin three schemes delivering on the Government’s commitment to prioritise the increased supply of affordable homes through (1) affordable homes for purchase delivered by local authorities, (2) a new affordable purchase shared equity scheme for private homes, and (3) the introduction of a new form of tenure in Cost Rental.

The Affordable Purchase Shared Equity scheme is designed to help bridge the gap, through providing equity support, between the mortgage a household may have access to and the price of the new home they wish to buy. The measure will enable First Time Buyers to buy a new home at a price they can afford, increase housing supply, and help restore confidence in the construction sector.

In availing of the scheme there is no borrowing requirement beyond that already permitted under the Central Bank’s macro-prudential rules. The support provided is in the form of shared equity rather than a loan to households.

Notwithstanding this, officials from my Department and the Department of Finance have been engaging with the Central Bank to consider the schemes interaction with macro prudential rules as well as the proposed operation of the scheme from the perspective of its consumer protection mandate. This process will continue until the conclusion of the scheme's design whereupon the Central Bank will take a final position on the matter.

The Bill has now been approved by Government and I intend to bring the Bill before the Oireachtas in the very near future to allow for the commencement of the Scheme this year.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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67. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of households in receipt of a housing assistance payment support discretionary top-up in each of the years 2016 to 2020. [23026/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all eligible households throughout the State. At end Q4 2020 there were nearly 60,000 households in receipt of HAP and over 33,520 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme.

Each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to a maximum of 20% above the prescribed maximum rent limit in circumstances where it is necessary, because of local rental market conditions, to secure appropriate accommodation for a household that requires it. It is a matter for the local authority to determine if the application of the flexibility is warranted on a case by case basis. Additional discretion of up to 50% above rent limits is available to assist in housing homeless households in the Dublin Region only.

The table below shows the number of households in receipt of HAP, over the period 2016 to 2020, who were also in receipt of some additional discretion available to local authorities.