Ms Laura Behan:

We are very conscious that there is a broad spectrum of need within the category of affordability. This is why the State has put in place such an array of supports to meet all the various different kinds of circumstances. Certainly there are people for whom there is a gap between the mortgage they can afford to repay and the price of housing in their area. The first home scheme and the local authority affordable purchase scheme are working to bridge that gap for those people.

There are also a number of people for whom the availability of a mortgage is a challenge. Local authorities can make available mortgages through the local authority home loan to people who could maybe fund a mortgage but have been turned down by the retail banks. People should always think about turning to the local authority to consider whether they may be eligible for a local authority home loan as an alternative.

Otherwise, there are options for people to purchase an older, vacant or derelict property and avail of the grant available from the State to make those homes habitable. It is a very generous grant of €50,000 or €70,000 if the home is derelict at the moment, which can assist. Further to that there are the cost rental schemes. The cost-rental schemes are being supplied by the Land Development Agency, LDA, by the approved housing bodies and by some local authorities. These schemes are targeting the delivery of homes at rents that are 20% or up to 30%, 33% or 35% below market rates, which often provide a very affordable rental to those households that are challenged to be able to afford a mortgage.