Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his contribution and appreciate his concerns. I had a huge interest in the matter as a member of a local authority during the time that affordable housing was being issued. Many young people got their first kickstart into buying a home for themselves that way.

These issues are included in the policy of the €5.3 billion that has been allocated by the Government to build houses. It is important to remember that we are at the beginning of a different kind of housing environment in this country. The Government is focused on being able to put in place more affordable housing across the board for anybody who wants to be able to buy a property, particularly young people and first-time buyers, which has already started, and particularly around people who want to come back and live in their own community. While there are no plans to introduce an affordable housing scheme at this time, we are confident that the wide range of measures being taken by the Government in the context of Rebuilding Ireland will provide opportunities for people to access good quality housing at a price level that they can afford. The increased supply is already starting to come on-stream and it is expected that it will be fast tracked considerably over the coming months.

I take on board what the Deputy has said; he speaks with great knowledge of the issue. I will relay his message back to the Minister, Deputy Coveney. The Deputy will speak to the Minister himself and we will have opportunity to speak together ourselves.

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