Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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4. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the key measures he will be taking to support first-time buyers under Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030; if he will be reviewing the terms and qualifying criteria of existing schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66122/25]

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister to outline the key measures he will be undertaking to support first-time buyers under the delivering homes, delivering communities plan. In particular, does the Minister intend to review the terms and qualifying criteria of existing schemes and will he make a statement on the matter? I hope he appreciates -I know he does - that many first-time buyers find themselves falling outside the criteria at present. This certainly needs to be reviewed so I welcome his answer.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this important question about the key measures I and the Government will be taking to support first-time buyers under Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030. I thank the Deputy for his regular engagement on this important issue for his constituents. The Government’s new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030 sets out a broad range of measures which will activate and accelerate new homes delivery and provide affordable housing supports. The new plan, which has a strong focus on deliverability, removes structural barriers to homebuilding, unlocking land, reforming planning, delivering infrastructure and creating conditions for investment. The Government is investing an unprecedented level of funding to support housing supply, which will underpin, inter alia, the new starter homes programme, delivering an average of 15,000 affordable housing supports annually to 2030. We are making homes accessible and affordable, increasing social and affordable housing output and improving rental security. The plan supports homeownership while revitalising villages, towns and cities. In addition to a keen focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction, the plan provides for an expanded remit for the Land Development Agency, working to extend the first home and help to buy schemes to 2030, an increase in affordable cost-rental tenancies, an expanded local authority delivered starter homes for purchase programme that will see an increase in affordable homes for purchase nationwide and a new support for those creating living over the shop homes.

The Government has introduced several schemes to help first-time home seekers to buy or rent homes. Since 2021, close to 16,900 affordable housing supports have been provided via these measures nationwide. These supports will be retained, streamlined and expanded under the umbrella of a new starter homes programme to further tackle the issues of supply and affordability and ensure that first-time buyers and renters all over the country in need of assistance are supported by the Government.

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the Minister's answer and the measures in the housing plan that will be there to support first-time buyers, in particular the 15,000 starter homes per annum, which will include affordable purchase, first home scheme properties, help to buy and the vacant refurbishment grant. They are all very welcome. The point I really want to drive home - I know the Minister is aware of this and is looking at it - is that the qualifying criteria at the moment mean that many first-time buyers are falling outside of them. Under the help-to-buy scheme, which I appreciate is a Department of Finance scheme, the price ceiling for a property is €500,000. In many areas of the country now, first-time buyers find themselves not able to secure a new property for €500,000, so the help-to-buy scheme is no longer available to them. Equally, the price ceiling in relation to the first home scheme is actually less. In Cork, for example, in Cork city it is €475,000 and in Cork county it is €450,000. Again, many first-time buyers find themselves outside this. It needs to be looked at, and I would appreciate if the Minister could look at this as a matter of urgency.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Scheme criteria and support levels for affordable purchase schemes are kept under regular review, taking account of developments in the housing market. It is a complex and dynamic situation to ensure that we can provide the necessary affordable supports for people to be able to purchase their homes without affecting the market and driving up the cost of delivery and affordability on people. I hear the Deputy's concerns and will continue to engage with him to keep these affordability measures under review.

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate this is a complex matter, and I know the last thing the Government wants to do is have schemes in place that will only lead to further price inflation. That is obviously a huge concern, and the Minister has to balance those concerns. For me, the reality is, as I said, that many first-time buyers are no longer able to avail of these schemes simply because of those qualifying criteria, particularly around the house value and the ceiling that is in place in relation to affordable purchase. I know this is on the Minister's radar. That needs to be reviewed as well in terms of the income qualification criteria. It is quite complicated and it needs to be simplified. Again, I know he is aware of that. The overall starter home package in the new plan is very welcome, but we have to refine some of the schemes to ensure they allow the vast majority of first-time buyers to qualify because that is, I know, the intention of the Government.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Again, I thank Deputy Séamus McGrath for raising the concerns around affordability, in particular around Cork city and Cork county. As I said, these schemes will continue to be kept under review to ensure that there are those affordability mechanisms in place and that people in Cork can afford to access the starter homes programme on an equal and equitable level with the rest of the country.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is hard lines when you will not give us an answer, but not to give your own man an answer? Jesus. I know less now than before you started to talk.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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You do not want to listen to the answer.