Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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217. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the incremental tenant purchase scheme introduced in 2016 is still operating; the funding allocated to the scheme in the past three years; if changes to the scheme now stipulate that tenants must be in receipt of housing assistance for ten years before availing of such schemes; the reason for this change; if such criteria applies across all local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44544/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme remains open to applications from eligible social housing tenants.

The scheme is not funding based, rather it operates by way of a discounted price on the purchase of a local authority property by a qualifying tenant. The discount is typically 60%, 50% or 40% depending on the purchaser’s level of reckonable income.

The scheme was reviewed in 2021 in line with Programme for Government and Housing for All commitments, with a number of changes coming into effect from 1 February 2022. The changes included a reduced level of income required to qualify under the scheme (down from €15,000 to €12,500), and an increase in the time required to be in receipt of social housing support from one to ten years.

The latter change seeks to encourage good, long-term tenants to stay in their homes and support development of socially sustainable communities. It also seeks to ensure, at a time of high demand, that local authority social housing stock is not excessively reduced and remains available for the most vulnerable in society.