The Government has also argued that the grant was introduced as a support for industry and is not needed any longer. To some extent it is right. In the '60s and '70s construction was largely stagnant and the impetus behind the grant, which was introduced by members of Fianna Fáil at the time was to support the building industry and their friends in the construction sector, as they tended to do. It was effective in this. However, over time the grant has become a support for individual purchasers, not for the industry. We must acknowledge this central fact in any debate about the issue.