Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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334. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the position for a pensioner buying out their own home under the tenant purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9114/22]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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351. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason a person aged 62 years who is not working due to major disability following an accident and wishes to purchase their local authority house is being refused due to fact that they are unable to work; his views on whether this is fair; if the decision will be changed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9255/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 334 and 351 together.

The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Schemeis open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme.

The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides that, as the Minister, I may set out a minimum income required to purchase under the scheme. The minimum income requirement has a dual purpose - it ensures the scheme is sustainable and that the tenant purchasing the house has the financial means to maintain and insure the property for the duration of the charged period.

Government has recently reduced the minimum reckonable income required under the scheme from €15,000 to €12,500. This means older tenants, whose only income might be the contributory or non-contributory State pension, are now eligible to buy their homes if they have the financial means to do so. These changes came into effect on 1st February 2022.

Further changes to the scheme are currently being examined as part of the work on the broader social housing reform agenda.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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335. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the allocations that will be made to local authorities to upgrade their housing stock under the recently announced retrofitting programme; if each local authority will have to develop and implement their own scheme; if there will be a national scheme; if any such scheme will include the replacement of windows and doors for local authority homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9115/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department launched the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme (EERP) in 2013 with the aim of funding retrofit of social homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since the programme commenced in 2013, over 75,000 units of local authority stock have been retrofitted with a total exchequer spend of over €183 million.

Up to 2020, the EERP was carried out in two Phases:

Phase 1of the programme provided funding targeted at the less intrusive cavity wall/attic insulation

Phase 2focused on fabric upgrade works to those dwellings with solid/hollow block wall construction and included the provision of heating upgrades.

The Phase 1 and Phase 2 approach to retrofitting is now withdrawn with the introduction in 2021 of a new holistic approach designed around the Programme for Government commitment that calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent (BER) standard by 2030, of which, approximately 36,500 are expected to be local authority owned homes.

Works eligible under the revised Programme include attic/cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation where required, windows and doors replacement, heat pump installation and ancillary and associated works.

In 2021 a substantial funding commitment of some €65 million was made available for the Energy Efficiency and Retrofit Programme and the programme will see a significant increase and ramping up of retrofitting works over the next number of years, building on the good work already undertaken by local authorities to date.

In 2022, the EERP will see a significant increase in funding support to €85 million, allowing approximately 2,400 homes nationally to be upgraded to a B2 or cost optimal equivalent (BER).

My Department contacted all local authorities last month to establish what commitments they had coming into 2022 and what capacity they had for additional delivery this year. This information is currently being reviewed and it will help inform the funding allocations and targets for each local authority for 2022 which I will announce in the coming weeks.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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336. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if there are schemes open to persons who are not a first-time buyer (detail supplied); if he will provide further details on such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9151/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Affordable Housing Act 2021, the first ever standalone affordable housing legislation, established a basis for four new affordable housing measures. These measures will deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system and prioritise the increased supply of affordable homes through (1) delivering affordable homes on local authority lands, (2) the introduction of a new form of tenure in Cost Rental, (3) a First Home shared equity scheme and (4) expanding Part V planning requirements to increase the 10% contribution requirement to 20% and to apply it to cost rental as well as social and affordable housing.

The Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme will support purchasers of Local Authority-delivered new homes by bridging the gap between the market value of the home and the combined value of the buyer's mortgage and deposit. Regulations to set out the detailed criteria are at an advanced stage and will be issued in the coming weeks. The first homes delivered through the scheme will be located in Cork City in the coming weeks. Cork City Council indicated the prices to be €218,000 for a 2-bedroom and €243,000 for a 3-bedroom dwelling.

The First Home affordable purchase shared equity scheme, established under Part 4 of the Affordable Housing Act, will act in a similar way to the Local Authority-led scheme, but will support purchases of newly constructed homes on the private market. This scheme will be available and in every county and will incorporate regional price caps based on median house price sales. Confirmation of the final details of this scheme is ongoing in conjunction with the relevant stakeholders and it is anticipated that the First Home scheme will be available for applications from mid year.

While affordable purchase measures are primarily targeted at first-time buyers to provide for new supply and concentrate supports in areas of highest need, the Housing for All strategy also provides for the ‘Fresh Start’ principle. Under the Fresh Start principle both affordable purchase schemes will be available to applicants who are divorced, legally separated or where the relationship has ended and where they retain no beneficial interest in a home.

To further support affordability constrained households to purchase a home, the Local Authority Home Loan scheme commenced on 4 January 2022 and incorporates a lower interest rate, higher income eligibility thresholds, and more flexibility on house size. The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage scheme for those on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. The loan can be used for new and second-hand properties, or for self-builds. Whilst targeted at First Time Buyers, the Local Authority Home Loan scheme also applies the Fresh Start Principle.

Importantly, affordable housing measures and schemes are designed to assist purchasers in meeting the costs of newly constructed homes and increasing the overall housing supply. By significantly increasing supply we will help temper inflationary pressures on the wider housing market which will benefit all home purchasers.

Crucially, the CSO reported that housing completions amounted to 20,433 in 2021, a welcome increase over the 2015 reported levels of 7,219. The CSO also report that Commencement Notices for 30,724 new homes were issued in 2021, representing a 42% increase compared with 2020, or roughly the same as the combined reported totals from 2016 & 2017. While these reported figures represent a significant step forward in the Government’s ambition to support the supply of new housing, it remains short of the 33,000 new dwellings annual target under Housing for All. This is why the Government has committed unprecedented levels of funding, averaging €4 billion per year to improve the situation.

Our multi-faceted approach to housing delivery will see greatly increased supply which we recognise is key to addressing inflationary pressures. Our measures will improve affordability for all families or individuals across society wishing to secure a home.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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337. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on extending the fresh start scheme to include persons who went through voluntary settlement processes including the Money Advice and Budgeting Service rather than availed of statutory insolvency solutions. [9164/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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A ‘Fresh Start’ principle applies for applications to State loan schemes such the Local Authority Home Loan.

The following categories of persons are eligible to apply for the Local Authority Home Loan under the Fresh Start principle:

- Applicant(s) that previously purchased or built a residential property, but is divorced and has left the property and divested themselves of their interest in the property are eligible.

- Applicant(s) that previously purchased a residential property, but have been divested of this through insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings, are eligible to apply. The applicant must be discharged from bankruptcy proceedings. It should be noted that a return to solvency should not be interpreted as a return to creditworthiness, which is a separate assessment.

Section 10(5) of the Affordable Housing Act requires an applicant to go through an insolvency process for eligibility as a Fresh Start applicant. It does not however include persons who went through voluntary settlement processes, including the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, but rather availed of statutory insolvency solutions.

The final decision regarding the Local Authority Home Loan application is made by the relevant Local Authority Credit Committee on a case by case basis.

Further details can be found on localauthorityhomeloan.ie/.