Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented demand for housing, brought about by a number of economic and demographic changes, including rising disposable incomes, historically-low interest rates and changing household formation patterns. These factors continue to place significant pressure on housing demand and house prices. The Government's strategy is to increase housing supply to meet demand and to improve affordability, particularly for first-time buyers, and in this way seek to bring moderation to house price increases.

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