Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 September 2024
179. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding the purchase of designated medical property with South Dublin County Council, if he will confirm whether properties with minor adaptations (such as a downstairs bathroom and removable handrails) are considered specially adapted houses that cannot be purchased by disabled individuals or their families under current regulations. [37120/24]
View answer180. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding the purchase of designated medical property with South Dublin County Council, if properties with minor adaptations are indeed ineligible for purchase; and the reason the disabled persons grant application form states that the cost of adaptation works will be added to the cost of the house in the event of a future purchase. [37121/24]
View answer181. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding the purchase of designated medical property with South Dublin County Council, under which scheme a family is allowed to purchase a designated medical property, and what the timeframe is before they can apply to do so. [37122/24]
View answer182. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding the purchase of designated medical property with South Dublin County Council, given that the South Dublin County Council website states that "The period of time tenants will be required to be in receipt of social housing support to be considered eligible under the scheme is 10 years", if this period includes time spent receiving social housing support in the form of the housing assistance payment, or whether it only begin from the start of a tenancy in the council property (i.e., in the case of a property (details supplied), January 2024). [37123/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 179, 180, 181 and 182 together.
The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants of local authority houses which are available for sale under the scheme. All applications for the Scheme must satisfy the requirements outlined in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, as amended.
Under the current terms of the Scheme, tenants must have been in receipt of social housing supports for a period of 10 years prior to becoming eligible. Social housing supports include HAP, RAS or 10 years tenancy of a local authority dwelling, or a combination of these supports. In the case of joint tenancies, only one tenant is required to have been in receipt of social housing supports for a period of 10 years.
The Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015 specifically exclude certain categories of houses from sale, including houses that have been provided to facilitate the transition from institutional care to community-based living of persons with an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment.
In addition, local authorities may, within the provisions of the regulations, exclude certain houses which the authority considers should not be sold for reasons such as proper stock or estate management. It is a matter for each individual local authority to administer the scheme in line with the governing legislation and in a manner appropriate to its housing requirements. As such, information regarding houses which the local authority has decided to exclude from sale in the interest of proper stock or estate management reasons is available directly from the local authority.
The detailed administration of the Disabled Persons Grant scheme including assessment, approval and prioritisation of applications is the responsibility of local authorities.
Section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that, subject to law, a local authority is independent in the performance of its functions. The operation of and any decisions made in respect of either Scheme are, therefore, entirely a matter for the local authority concerned and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on an individual case.
