Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

That should be taken into consideration in lieu of a deposit for people who have spent years renting private accommodation.

We do not want to go back to the era of reckless lending by the banks, giving people loans they could not reasonably or realistically pay back. However, we need to keep in mind young couples wanting to buy their first family home. Incentives which were in place such as the first-time buyer’s grant should be brought back to encourage young couples to buy and build modest sized family homes, not the mansions that sprung up across the country during the Celtic tiger. I await with interest to see if the forthcoming budget will have some incentive which will give some help to young couples to start a family home. If not, will the Leader organise a debate on the issue at the earliest opportunity?