Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Housing is the biggest societal issue of my generation and every day I meet people who are struggling to pay their rent or losing hope of some day owning their own home. This week, I heard from many prospective first-time buyers and from people saving for a deposit, who are finally seeing light at the end at the tunnel. They are encouraged by the Central Bank's decision to relax lending rules from January next and they feel that owning a new home is now something that is closer and within reach. Among the changes announced yesterday was the decision to extend the first-time buyer definition to include people who are separated and divorced and who no longer have a stake in a family home. That is in line with the Government's fresh start principle that we introduced. However, the does not extend to the Government's help-to-buy scheme for first-time buyers. Will the Minister work with his Cabinet colleagues to rectify that?

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