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

Some 238,000 tenants have availed of the renter's tax credit worth €1,000 that this Government brought forward in 2023. Some 40,000 individuals and families have availed of the help to buy grant which helps them to purchase their own home.

These are very positive highlights, and leaving them aside we will never be complacent about the challenges that we face. I have and will never underestimate the work that I and this Government have to do. At every turn we have been agile and we have innovated, in our response to the crisis that we face, and we need to be. We have greatly expanded the tenant in situ scheme, meaning that local authorities can buy properties where tenants are facing eviction when the landlord is selling their property. Contrary to what the Deputy opposite might say, this scheme is working very well with 2,412 acquisitions at various stages including assessment, conveyancing and completed purchases. Does the Deputy accept that the process between sale agreed and finalised sale does not happen in one day? There is a conveyancing process to go through.

Less than three months ago, we announced an expansion of the vacant derelict property grant. We increased the rates by €20,000. We broadened the eligibility criteria for homes built before 2007 and we included properties that would be made available on the long-term rental market. The grant has been extremely popular, with nearly 3,000 applications received by local authorities and more than 1,000 approved. I think the Deputy can answer the question as well, why does he want to scrap this grant?

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