Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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379. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to alter the eligibility criteria for the local authority home loan where long-term State benefit payments may only be considered as repayment income where more than 50% of the income source is of an earned nature, to allow two applicants on long-term State benefit payments to avail of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49980/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government-backed mortgage for creditworthy applicants 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.

Under the Local Authority Home Loan scheme state benefit payments are not generally considered as part of repayment capacity. However, certain long-term State benefit payments may be considered as repayment income only where the main income source is of an earned nature (i.e. more than 50% of the income that forms the full Home Loan application is from a source other than State benefits payments).

The long-term state benefits which may be considered are:

State Pension (Contributory and Non-contributory);

Widow’s/Widower’s Pension;

Blind Pension; and

Invalidity Pension.

In cases where an applicant’s income from these long-term state benefits is greater than 50% of their total income, then the maximum state benefits income that will be utilised for the assessment of repayment capacity will be an amount equivalent to the applicant’s earned income. There are no plans to change this requirement.

Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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380. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the plans for reimbursing local authorities for works undertaken in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50019/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department undertakes the Lead Government Department role, as set out in the Strategic Emergency Management (SEM) Framework (2017), in relation to the coordination of national level responses to severe weather and flooding emergencies, where warranted. My Department's National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management undertakes this role and works closely with local authority Severe Weather Assessment Teams and Met Éireann.

Local authorities are designated as the lead agencies for coordinating a response to flooding and severe weather emergencies. All local authorities have an established Severe Weather Assessment Team in place, monitoring Met Éireann weather warnings, High Tide Advisories and the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) advisory warnings. Local authorities also have Severe Weather/ Flood Plans in place to support the response to weather emergencies.

Since 2009, my Department has made financial support of over €100 million available to assist local authorities in meeting the unbudgeted costs of clean-up and necessary immediate works, including for exceptional overtime payments, the hire of plant and heavy machinery, the purchase of materials required for the clean-up and the hire of contractors associated with significant severe weather emergency events.

This is in recognition of the exceptional nature of the activities carried out by local authorities in responding to these types of emergencies and the fact that the costs of these un-programmed activities could not be foreseen in annual expenditure planning. This practice is considered a vital enabler to underpin a rapid response by local authorities.

In the context of Storm Éowyn and the exceptional nature of the response and humanitarian assistance activities carried out by local authorities, clearly the costs of these activities were not budgeted for within existing resources. My Department is collating costs from all local authorities in relation to severe weather responses earlier this year and, in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, will work with local authorities to address relevant unbudgeted costs.

It should be noted that funding the repair of public infrastructure is undertaken by the relevant Department in line with its sectoral responsibility. Capital costs associated with infrastructural damage, for example damage to the roads network and coastal protection infrastructure (where necessary), are funded under relevant sectoral arrangements.