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

I am also interested in what Deputy Ó Broin has to say to a couple earning the average wage on a joint income of €90,000.

Deputy Ó Broin floundered on this the last time we debated it on RTÉ. His plan excludes such couples entirely from the Sinn Féin scheme. Through his plan, he is telling them Sinn Féin does not want to know about them. Does Deputy Ó Broin not think the so-called garda and nurse couple deserve their assistance - a couple earning €90,000? Does he think people will fall for Sinn Féin's mean-spirited stamp duty exemption? Sinn Féin proudly announced that while scrapping current Government supports, it would introduce a €4,500 stamp duty exemption for first-time buyers. Again, Deputy Ó Broin was caught out on this. Under Government supports including the help-to-buy scheme and the first home scheme, first-time buyers of new homes can avail of up to €100,000. Will Deputy Ó Broin be upfront with those who are planning on buying their home and tell them they will be €95,000 worse off under the Sinn Féin plan?

Among the uncertainties around its flawed programme of affordable lease-hold purchase homes, we have some firm commitments from Sinn Féin. We have a commitment from Sinn Féin that it will end the help-to-buy scheme that has helped more than 50,000 buyers to date. It will abolish the first home bridge-the-gap scheme, which has already helped with 5,700 approvals and 11,000 registrations. Sinn Féin will even restrict the vacant and derelict property grants, which have more than 6,000 approvals. Sinn Féin will abolish the Land Development Agency, which will deliver 14,000 new affordable and social homes by 2028. These are schemes that have started and are delivering, including Shanganagh Castle, which was just launched last month. Sinn Féin will also close the Croí Cónaithe apartment supply scheme for owner-occupiers and will stop the tenant purchase scheme, meaning no social housing tenants can aspire to own their own home.

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