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

I thank the Deputy. As he knows, I am committed to putting affordability back at the heart of our housing system through the expansion and acceleration of State-backed affordable housing.

Long-term financial sustainability is an important guiding principle to ensure that individuals and families can be helped to secure affordable housing on an ongoing basis.

Therefore, the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, under which affordable home for purchase will be made available, provides for a charge equal to the percentage discount on market value up to a maximum of 40%. The amount charged must be repaid to the Housing Authority by the end of the charge period of at least 25 years. It may also be paid off by instalments anytime after the first five years of the charge period.

Since taking up office at the end of June I have established two top-level groups of delivery partners. One will target homelessness services and social housing provision in the immediate term and another will work on homelessness, social and public housing. In the weeks ahead I will be expanding the work to encompass affordable housing. I have started that work, building on the work I did in opposition and on the commitments I made in my party's manifesto and those contained in the programme for Government. While I am preparing and doing that work, I will not inhibit what might be in it. There will be a number of delivery mechanisms in an affordable scheme that works.

While I mentioned ceilings and rates on salaries and prices, I remind the Deputy that the motion brought forward by Sinn Féin on affordable housing referred to basic salary caps of €75,000 for couples, which is not helpful. I say that because in urban areas, such as the greater Dublin area, a couple earning average incomes will be over that threshold. I want to make sure that cohort is included in proposed schemes.

I will not set a ceiling on prices yet. I will bring a detailed report on delivery to the House and publish it in the autumn. I seek feedback. The Deputy has published a scheme which is very similar to one of mine. We all want to make sure that we provide affordable housing which can be purchased by working people. That is what I intend to do.

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