Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

271. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the tenant purchase scheme is open to those receiving a non-contributory pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18952/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Tenant Purchase Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the scheme.

The scheme was reviewed in 2021 in line with Programme for Government and Housing for All commitments. The Government approved a number of amendments on foot of the review and these came into effect on 1st February 2022.

The amendments include a reduction in the minimum reckonable income required to be eligible 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, can qualify to buy their homes if they have the financial means to do so. The time an applicant is required to be in receipt of social housing supports to be able to apply under the scheme has also been revised. This has been increased from one to ten years.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

272. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will remove the household means assessment from the housing adaptation grants for persons with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18983/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department provides funding to local authorities for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability Scheme. These schemes assist eligible applicants living in privately owned homes to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs.

The grants available operate on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grants available to those with the lowest incomes. The schemes are means tested and grant assistance is not available to applicants whose household income, after disregards and deductions, exceeds €60,000 per annum. The household income approach is intended to spread the benefits of the grant scheme as widely as possible and to ensure fairness and value for money in operation of the scheme towards those with the greatest needs. Local authorities, in administering the scheme, work with qualifying applicants to secure the most beneficial outcome possible in line with the applicants' financial circumstances and within the parameters of the Grant Scheme.

Housing for All commits to undertaking a review of the range of housing grants available to assist with meeting specific housing needs both for our ageing population and people with a disability. An initial element of this review has begun and is currently focused on the existing grant limits and income thresholds applicable to the Grant Scheme. The wider scope of the review, to be completed this year, is also under consideration and is being informed by ongoing engagement with local authorities and external stakeholders.