Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I hate to sound like a broken record but a lot of what I am going to say was said during the debate on the previous question. The more the Minister’s critics decry the interventions he is making, the more it proves he is going in the right direction. We have spoken previously about the relevant figures. When he came into office, there had been a decade of undersupply. We did not build enough houses for many years. The numbers are now growing steadily. The one fundamental thing that the first-home scheme provides for people is choice. That choice was not available to many people before the launch of this scheme. That is the fundamental thing the scheme does. Instead of people scraping together 90% or 85% of a mortgage, they can achieve that with perhaps 70% of the amount that is required.

It is imperative to reiterate that the scheme is there and up and running. More people are becoming aware of it and the uptake is growing. At our recent Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis, the Minister reiterated his intention, if he were to remain in office after the next election, to retain the scheme. Perhaps he would speak to that.

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