Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My experience, from meeting with constituents, is it has been a useful and helpful scheme, particularly to young people trying to get on the property ladder. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has, within his Housing for All, a suite of measures, but this is one particular one I would advocate should continue.

The Minister will be aware that many of the housing authorities or housing bodies have called for consideration of an extension of the help-to-buy scheme not only to cover new properties or properties that are to become first-time homes, but also second-hand homes. The pandemic has had implications for construction. I suppose the fear is that it will also exacerbate the concern around the cost of building and, ultimately, be passed on to the buyer.

To reiterate the point, if it was at all possible, there is plenty of evidence to show it was a scheme that worked. It is a scheme that we should consider for the future, and also perhaps widening the breadth of it.

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