Ms Elaine Houlihan:

Access to finance is one of the biggest hurdles for any young person and one of the biggest reasons we all head to Australia. There is no future, unfortunately. It is fitting the Deputy asked the question because I was talking to a constituent of hers who is fully aware of and has availed of the grant, completed the works within the 13 months but waited another 13 months for the financial support. Let us imagine the stress put on that couple, a young family. That is not acceptable and needs to be looked at. These are all factors that play into the mental health side of things as well. It is our future in rural Ireland. We need the support to do it and that is not viable.

As many members will know, we made the Steps for our Future march from Athy to Dublin, but we always have a solution. Our solution to access to finance is this. As houses need to be owned by the grant applicant at the time of application, the introduction of a State-backed guarantee to assist people buying vacant properties is required. This assistance is in the form of a guarantee. Very few people will have the means to purchase a property and sufficient funds to renovate it. If the State acts as guarantor, individuals may borrow against the future value of their property, as opposed to the current derelict value.