Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

We speak about the concerns of first-time buyers, but when people compile figures such as in the Halifax survey, I wish they would be fair and honest. First-time buyers purchase new or second-hand houses that are cheaper than average. Such studies use the example of a nurse, civil servant or garda on the first or second year or his or her salary and forget that the person will get a few promotions. They then take the average price of a second-hand house, including many €1 million or €2 million houses in the leafy suburbs that might have development potential, houses built around it and so on. However, the house's average price is meaningless when discussing first-time buyers, so we might as well be honest. These surveys are only PR attempts to attract attention to particular financial institutions rather than anything else.

We have affordable housing schemes because some people have a problem with affordability. I apologise to Senator Cummins, but it is difficult to accept comments made by Fine Gael Members in this regard. Fine Gael fought the Part V legislation line by line and section by section when it went through the Oireachtas.