Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. If I am not mistaken, that was his first reply to a parliamentary question. I hope there will be some windfall for Longford as a result. I will send through the representations straight away afterwards.

It goes without saying that Croí Cónaithe is one of the genuine successes of the programme for Government. We are seeing its benefits right across the country, notwithstanding the vehement opposition of Opposition parties to it. Looking through the parliamentary questions, one will see that many Opposition Deputies are following up on queries on the scheme. It is working really well. I have first-hand experience of it from Longford, where our vacant homes officer, Marianna Alexandrino, is working incredibly well with the applicants. If an applicant is successful in accessing the full grant of €70,000, and also the SEAI grant of €33,000, it means a €133,000 injection into the creation of what will in many cases be a first family home. Therefore, the scheme is a genuinely meaningful initiative. More important, it puts people back into rural Ireland to live and often results in the refurbishment of derelict properties.

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