Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The target of 15,000 a year is significant and something that the Government will do its level best to achieve. The specific measures I outlined earlier are very welcome.

I want to raise one specific point about the first home scheme. It is an important vehicle for home ownership. It is a form of affordable housing, without doubt, but many new properties are falling outside the limits of the scheme. That needs to be reviewed in my constituency of Cork South Central where new three-bed semi detached houses are over the limit for the first home scheme. We do not necessarily want to chase price growth and we do not want to be part of the problem by increasing house prices but we have to examine the scheme if it is not working for many prospective purchasers.

Reviewing the home loan and making it more workable and accessible for more people is very welcome and the expansion of the first home scheme to secondhand properties is something that the programme for Government also commits to.

See this speech in context