John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)

As I said in my opening reply, I have great sympathy for those who are trying to purchase homes here and across the country. That is why the Government is putting supports in place like the one the Deputy mentioned, to support homebuyers in purchasing their first home. I would love to be able to solve this matter for the individuals and families in question. As he will appreciate, contractual and legal frameworks govern the purchase of properties and have to be followed. This is a matter in respect of which a legal process is ongoing.

As a result, unfortunately, as Minister of State I am not in a position to be able to intervene. I want these families to be able to be in their homes as much as the Deputy does. From a departmental perspective, we are keeping a close eye on proceedings and what is happening here in this particular instance. Unfortunately, given the state of the circumstances that face us at the moment, it is not appropriate to be able to intervene.

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