Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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652. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a local authority has the authority to make a decision to approve a local authority home loan application even after rejection by the Housing Agency for not meeting non-EU/EEA applicant residency criteria of the credit policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12382/24]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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653. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department or the Housing Agency ever reviewed any actuarial and statistical data in regard to the residence criteria for difference in treatment for non-EU/EEA applicants; if so, if he can provide a copy of the data along with the source of the data; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12383/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 652 and 653 together.

Further to Parliamentary Questions No. 341 of 20 February 2024 and No. 475 of 5th March 2024, to qualify for a Local Authority Home Loan an applicant must currently have a legal right to reside and work in the State. As previously advised the Credit Policy requires that applicants from outside the EEA/EU must be legally resident in Ireland for a period of 5 years or have leave to remain extending to permit 5 years reckonable residence or have indefinite leave to remain in the state.

The Housing Agency provides a central support service that assesses applications by its underwriting team for the Local Authority Home Loan on behalf of local authorities and makes recommendations to the authorities to approve or refuse applications.

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. Decisions on all housing loan applications must be made in accordance with the Regulations establishing the scheme and the credit policy that underpins the scheme, in order to ensure prudence and consistency in approaches in the best interests of both borrowers and lending local authority. Further details on residency criteria and eligibility for the home loan can be found on localauthorityhomeloan.ie/eligibility/

My Department does not collect statistical data in relation to the residence criteria for non-EU/EEA applicants or any other category of applicant.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock.

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. A grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent.Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a maximum top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed by the applicant to be derelict or where the property is already on the local authority’s Derelict Sites Register, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000. The grant is available in respect of vacant and derelict properties built up to and including 2007, in towns, villages, cities and rural areas.

Where an application is not successful, the applicant can lodge an appeal with the local authority to whom the application was made. A senior local authority official who was not involved with the original decision will assess the appeal and contact the applicant with the outcome.

When the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund was launched, a commitment was given that a comprehensive review and evaluation of the schemes under it, including the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, would be undertaken by mid 2024. That review is currently underway.