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

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht na ceiste. Ar an gcéad dul síos, tá sé tábhachtach a rá go ndearna mé athrú ar dhlí pleanála i mí na Bealtaine 2021. Tá a fhios ag an Teachta faoi sin. Cosnaíonn an t-athrú sin tithe teaghlaigh do dhaoine aonair agus do theaghlaigh. Tá an t-athrú sin ag obair. Tá a fhios ag an Teachta faoi sin freisin. Tá coinníoll ar leith ag baint le 40,000 teach anois iad a dhíol ina n-aonar. Baineann an cheist seo le tithe a bhfuair cead sular athraigh mé an dlí. Tá a fhios ag an Teachta faoi sin freisin. Is é an rud a gcaithfimid breathnú air ná an cháin. Aontaím leis sin.

It is correct to say, which the Deputy neglected to mention, that the planning law was changed. It was changed in May 2021 and since then 40,000 homes, up to October this year, have the owner-occupier guarantee. What pertains in this case, and some others, relates to planning permissions that were granted prior to that date. That was the reason the stamp duty change was brought in. What the Deputy and his colleagues neglected to mention in all of the commentary on this is that we have changed the law on planning and that is working. What we need to look at, which we are doing, is the rate of stamp duty applicable.

We also need to put this in context. If we look at the just less than 1,200 homes that have been purchased in the period since I brought in those planning changes, which relate to planning permissions granted before the change in planning, those homes represent less than 1% of approximately 125,000 property transactions. The planning changes are, therefore, working. Those 1,200 homes are equivalent to the 1,200 homes, in one town alone in Donabate in Fingal, that the Deputy's party objected to - his party colleague is in the front row beside him. Let us talk about context. We are for first-time buyers. We have measures to help them, such as the help-to-buy grant, the first home scheme and the vacancy grant, all of which the Deputy's party would abolish. The Deputy said his party is for first-time buyers but is against every single measure we bring forward, even the measures, such as the first home scheme, which are actually working. There have been nearly 8,000 registrations for that scheme. Some 42,500 families have got their own tax back from their deposits but Sinn Féin would abolish that.

There seems to be a little conflict between Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson and party leader on this because the party spokesperson said he would get rid of those schemes straightaway while the party leader says quietly, when she is talking to people, that there will be no cliff edge. The reality of it is that more first-time buyers are now buying properties, with 600 people a week now drawing down their mortgages, which is the highest rate since 2007. It may disappoint the Deputy to know that later today we will publish the commencement figures for new homes for December. A total of 3,167 commencement notices received in December, which is a 76% increase on the previous December. That is the highest number of December commencements ever on record. It means that 32,000 homes have been started in the past 12 months. That is progress. It means there is progress on new housing delivery, social housing is being delivered at a rate that we have not seen in more than 50 years, there are affordable homes for people for the first time in a generation, and first-time buyers are able to buy.

While it certainly angers me to see 46 homes sold in Belcamp, that related to planning permission granted in 2019. As the Deputy is someone who is familiar with the law, since he has been a Member for quite some time, I expect he will understand that those retrospective changes to granted planning permissions cannot be made. He does not want to say that. However, 40,000 homes have been protected by the owner-occupier guarantee. The stamp duty levy is something that absolutely needs to be reviewed, but let us put this in context. The Deputy said there is a Belcamp Manor every week but there is not. Out of 125,000 property transactions, approximately 1,000 properties have been purchased by vulture funds, which is less than 1%. We back first-time buyers; Sinn Féin does not.

See this speech in context