Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

In the main, Question No. 7 pertains to affordable houses. My understanding is that Deputy Finian McGrath has attempted to raise the issue of social housing. This year's budget for social housing is €1.4 billion, which constitutes a significant sum of money. The output for local authority houses last year was the highest for 20 years. The number on the waiting list was down 10%, and if we could double the output, we could allocate houses to all these people. We are making progress. The various methods in place are helping. While the average price of houses keeps increasing, a study states that the average price for first-time buyers has decreased by 13%. As a result of the affordable schemes, there are a number of houses for first-time buyers throughout Dublin which cost under €200,000. To promote the schemes more, local authorities must advertise them strongly.

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