Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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215. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the funding that is available from his Department to help local authorities deal with outstanding issues of mould and damp in council flats; if retrofitting funding related to climate action can be provided in such circumstances, for example to help with costs of new windows in blocks; if not, if other sources of funding are available to local authorities to deal with these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60041/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties are compliant with the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations, 2019.

Notwithstanding the legal obligation on local authorities to manage and maintain their own stock, my Department does provide annual funding support to local authorities for management and maintenance under a number of funding programmes.

Under the Voids Programme, my Department has supported local authorities in refurbishing vacant social homes and returning them to productive use. This funding programme was introduced in 2014 and has to the end of 2021 returned 18,527 properties to use with Exchequer funding of €261m from my Department.

Statistics in relation to this scheme are available at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/collection/0906a-other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics/#voids-programme.

Under the Energy Efficiency Programme, my Department funds the carrying out of retrofitting works to local authority dwellings. From 2013-2020 the Programme was implemented in 2 Phases: Phase 1 Attic Insulation/Cavity Wall Insulation and Phase 2 focuses on the fabric upgrades to dwellings. Over the period 2013 to 2020 over 73,500 units of social housing stock have been retrofitted with a total exchequer spend of €161 million under the scheme (most of which were completed under Phase 1).

In response to the Programme for Government commitment, my Department launched a newly revised ten year Energy Efficiency Programme in 2021 for local authority owned housing. This new programme set a BER performance requirement of “B2” or cost optimal level. The upscaling of the works included in the programme sees a substantial overall increase in funding being made available for insulation, windows and doors and heating upgrades, specifically the installation of a Heat Pump and associated works. The installation of gas/oil boilers are no longer supported under the energy efficiency programme funded by my Department.

Statistics in relation to this scheme are available at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/668c1-energy-efficiency-retrofitting-programme-expenditure-output/.

My Department also introduced a pilot Midlands Energy Retrofit Programme in 2020, the details of which are available on the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/b86b3-midlands-energy-retrofit-programme-expenditure-and-units/.

Under the Disabled Persons Grant Scheme, my Department funds local authorities in carrying out necessary adaptation works to local authority properties to cater for the needs of elderly and disabled tenants and families living in overcrowded conditions in local authority properties. From 2017-2021 my Department has provided exchequer funding of over €83m to support this programme, the details of which can be found on the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/544a0-disabled-persons-grant-and-improved-works-in-lieu-schemes-units-funded-by-the-department/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/en/publication/0d9e5-disabled-persons-grant-and-improved-works-in-lieu-schemes-units-funded-by-the-department-2017-2020/.

The detailed assessment, categorisation and selection of a property for inclusion on one of the above schemes is a matter for each individual local authority in their administration of the programme.

My Department will continue to support local authorities for stock improvement works and details in relation to 2022 outturn will be available on the above links early in 2023. However it is also important that local authorities increasingly seek to move to a planned management and maintenance approach of their housing stock. In this regard, €5 million in funding has been ring-fenced for Planned Maintenance under this years Planned Maintenance/Voids Programme to support the implementation of an ICT asset management system for the local authority sector and to provide a funding contribution for the commencement of stock condition surveys.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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216. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which he expects to improve opportunities for qualification for home loans for those currently on local authority housing waiting lists but who cannot qualify due to the low-income threshold which prevents them from being housed by the local authorities but does not allow them buy on the housing market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60055/22]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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218. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider waiving the deposit for home loan applicants who have been meeting and paying rental payments for a number of years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60057/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 216 and 218 together.

The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage for those on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. It is the successor to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan (RIHL).

To support prudential lending, applicants must have a deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the market value of the property. Of this deposit, cash savings should provide no less than 3% of the market value of the property and applicants must provide bank or similar statements for a 12-month period immediately prior to making an application clearly showing a credible and consistent track record of savings. Gifts can comprise the remaining 7% of the market value of the property where their source is verified. The 10% deposit applies irrespective of previous housing tenure, and I have no plans to change this requirement.

The availability of the Help to Buy scheme for first-time buyers offers additional assistance to purchasers using the Local Authority Home Loan to buy newly built properties. This should alleviate some of the challenges faced by some first-time buyers in accessing the 10% deposit of the market value of the property. The initiative has been designed to provide immediate and targeted support for first-time buyers in meeting their deposit requirements and encouraging the construction of new housing units.

Single applicants for properties in counties Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Louth, Meath or Wicklow must not be earning greater than €65,000 annual gross income or €50,000 annual gross income for properties in all other counties. Joint applicants must not be earning greater than €75,000 annual gross income in all counties. There are no set minimum income limits for the Local Authority Home Loan, but applicants must have sufficient repayment capacity to repay a mortgage.