Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I support the extension of the help-to-buy scheme. It has been a significant scheme which has helped more than 40,000 people to buy a house since 2017. We have to remember why it was brought in in the first place. It was because there was a barrier to purchasing a house. People could not get a deposit and the supply was reflecting that, since that house type was not being built and therefore could not be sourced. The help-to-buy scheme was designed to try to encourage new builds and supply, which it has successfully done over recent years. I urge that we continue with it as a supply measure as well as assisting home ownership for a category of people who, without this scheme, might not be able to buy a house. It is not necessarily clear in any assessments that people would have been able to buy a house without this scheme. My clear view on this is that, from an early stage, in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and onwards, houses would not have been built in the first place if this scheme had not been there, because it was tailored to try to encourage the houses to be built. In my view, it has worked extremely well. I welcome the changes the Minister is bringing, including the extension and the changes to accommodate those using the affordable housing scheme. It is only fair for that change to be made. I compliment that change and recommend we endorse it.