Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank each of the Deputies for their questions. In line with the programme for Government, the review which had been commenced has to be refined, because of the agreement that was made regarding the three issues I alluded to in the programme for Government.

We have to be very careful as Deputies when we are talking about cash buyers buying local authority housing. We have to be very careful about the rules we set. They have a knock-on effect on every applicant throughout the country. While there are very genuine cases, we have to be very careful about the rules we apply to ensure that they are fair in terms of the local authority stock and that they are giving pensioners who have money, resources and certainty a chance to purchase their homes. It cannot be the case that someone who has cash can buy a local authority house. People should know the reasons for that.

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