Written answers

Thursday, 6 May 2021

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Home Loan Scheme

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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59. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of approvals and rejections of applications of the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme by each local authority including the reasoning for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23305/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing Agency provides a central support service which assesses applications for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan on behalf of local authorities and makes recommendations to the authorities to approve or refuse applications. Each local authority must have in place a credit committee and it is a matter for the committee to make the decision on applications for loans, in accordance with the regulations, having regard to the recommendations made by the Housing Agency.

The most recent figures, as at the end of March 2021, from the Agency on the numbers of applications that it has assessed and recommended for approval/decline for each local authority since the scheme began in February 2018, are included in the below table:

Local Authority Applications Assessed Recommended to Approve Recommended to Decline
Carlow County Council 105 38 67
Cavan County Council 32 13 19
Clare County Council 130 55 75
Cork City Council 366 158 208
Cork County Council 634 314 320
Donegal County Council 93 41 52
Dublin City Council 906 549 357
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council 189 104 85
Fingal County Council 1018 572 446
Galway City Council 153 81 72
Galway County Council 267 94 173
Kerry County Council 269 101 168
Kildare County Council 338 168 170
Kilkenny County Council 126 65 61
Laois County Council 188 90 98
Leitrim County Council 39 10 29
Limerick City & County Council 214 119 95
Longford County Council 97 50 47
Louth County Council 227 97 130
Mayo County Council 124 45 79
Meath County Council 418 263 155
Monaghan County Council 98 29 69
Offaly County Council 83 34 49
Roscommon County Council 85 39 46
Sligo County Council 102 43 59
South Dublin County Council 531 274 257
Tipperary County Council 208 93 115
Waterford City & County Council 193 70 123
Westmeath County Council 78 46 32
Wexford County Council 274 127 147
Wicklow County Council 364 160 204
Total 7949 3942 4007

The most common reasons for applications being declined are as follows

- Repayment Capacity Not Demonstrated

- Net Income Ratio Outside of Policy

- Unsatisfactory Savings Record

- Unsatisfactory ICB Report

- Outside Credit Policy

- Unsatisfactory Financial Management

- Other

The final decision on loan approval is a matter for each local authority and it’s Credit Committee on a case-by-case basis. Decisions on all housing loan applications must be made in accordance with the statutory credit policy that underpins the Scheme, in order to ensure consistency of treatment for all applicants.

Loan applicants who are dissatisfied with a loan application decision of a local authority Credit Committee may appeal that decision to the local authority. Details of the appeals process can be obtained from the relevant local authority.

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