Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----I am saying we are making progress in this area. Planning permission is up by almost 50%, commencements are up by almost 50% and mortgage approvals are up significantly. The property market is moving in the right direction although there are still significant pressures to deal with when it comes to public policy.

The Deputy seems to be suggesting that the schemes we have announced, particularly the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme, will not have a positive impact on people. Let us take some examples. A person earning €40,000 a year and living in Mayo could afford to buy a house worth €225,000 provided her or she had a deposit of €22,000. That person could then borrow €198,000 from his or her local authority and the monthly repayments would be in the region of €858 per month or 33% of his or her net disposable income. That is a viable option for people and that is why we are proceeding with it. A couple-----

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