Jim Higgins (Fine Gael)

There may be some relevance in the Minister's comment that the abolition of the first-time buyer's grant is of lesser consequence in the greater Dublin area – or the Pale, which includes the Minister's constituency – than in County Mayo, for example. A young couple in Dublin will have to spend as much money on carpets, a cooker, microwave oven or washing machine as a young couple in County Mayo. I can testify, on the basis of the experience of my siblings, to the fact that the first-time buyer's grant helped with such costs in no small measure. Young people trying to purchase a house face an extremely difficult situation.