Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

On the issue of apartments, financing and supply and demand, we need to try to find a balance. Clearly, the help-to-buy and first-home schemes are not applicable in Dublin because the properties are above €500,000 in value. They do not have a role there. Institutional investors will all want to know whether we can apply a scheme for renting homes to try to help that side of it. Should we make amendments to the current schemes to try to facilitate it? Unless we crack apartment building, we are going to struggle, especially in Dublin. How do we get this balance between supply and demand right? Dr. Cassidy said the non-bank lenders are willing to take greater risk than the pillar banks, but he also said there are very safe levels in the pillar banks at the moment. I saw an article suggesting that some central banks are calling for an easing of the European Basel rules. How do we crack this nut? We are wasting our time unless we do so.