John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

——landowners, farmers, local authorities and other stakeholders in regard to protecting sensitive sites and species.

In 2008, I gave priority to work that will enable us to meet our obligations under the EU birds and habitats directives, through measures such as the reallocation of resources to high-priority areas and through putting in place pressing conservation initiatives. This will remain my focus in 2009. Substantial funding will continue to be made available for the protection of Ireland's wildlife and habitats, necessary research, surveying and monitoring, the bog compensation scheme and agri-environmental measures to protect specific habitats and species.

However difficult the economic transition we are experiencing may be, there are certain priorities that must always remain at the top of the political agenda. That is why, in the overall financial provision for housing in 2009, our focus is on utilising the very significant resources that will be available in a way that takes account of the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society.

The total Exchequer provision for housing will be almost €1.66 billion in current and capital finance. By any measure, this is a very significant sum. It will allow for the progress made in 2008, when the needs of almost 18,300 households were met through the broad range of social and affordable housing programmes, to be further built on.

The Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Finneran, will soon announce details of an expansion of the existing local authority mortgage scheme. It will be a targeted and time-limited initiative to reflect the fact that access to mortgage finance has perhaps become an even greater obstacle to house purchase for first-time buyers than affordability.

The scheme has been carefully framed to offer a line of credit to households who have made the decision to enter the market at this time but who are unable to do so because of the credit crunch.

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