Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief because Deputy McAuliffe is coming in after me. My question is on behalf of Deputy Flaherty, who has recently joined the committee. He has asked me to thank the Department for the work it has done. He is particularly interested in hearing feedback from the witnesses on how the shared equity scheme will work to stimulate the provision of affordable homes in rural counties such as his home county, Longford. The issue, as he has explained it to me, is that there is a real challenge with the sale price being below the cost of building locally.

That is a real barrier to the delivery of housing. Deputy Flaherty would like the witnesses to advise on how the Bill and the initiatives therein will address that issue.