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

Being serious, this is, as Deputy Naughten said, a no-brainer. It is open to every local authority. It is a simple application. To answer Deputy McNamara's question, if the local authority designates the house as vacant, so if someone comes to it with an application when purchasing a house and the local authority says it has been vacant for two years or more, that is all that is needed. There and then they will get the €30,000 grant. If the prospective homeowner comes forward and says the home is derelict and that is agreed with by the local authority, the €20,000 top-up grant applies. It is not "up to". It is €30,000 for vacant properties and then €50,000, regardless of the value of the property or the purchase price. I have made the further changes that I and the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, announced at the ploughing championships. Most reasonable people see this scheme as an excellent initiative that is going to work.

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