Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My question is about the commencement of an affordable home purchase scheme, to which the Minister responded, in part, in his response to Deputy Ó Broin. The Minister also mentioned that we cannot fix this problem in two years. However, this problem has been around for almost eight years. My concern is around when an affordable home purchase scheme will commence. The Minister indicated he had signed the commencement order for the affordable scheme, which I welcome. When will the regulations be introduced? On 17 May, I brought a motion to the House dealing with the commencement of an affordable housing scheme and it was voted down. We need this scheme urgently. The additional €50 million is welcome but the €25 million already in place equates to approximately 400 units. If the target is 400 affordable purchase units, the €25 million equates to about €16,000 per site. I am not sure if that would actually make a dent in affordability. How far down the line is the Minister with regard to the regulations for an affordable home scheme and setting the parameters for the scheme in terms of income thresholds and who will be eligible to apply?

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