Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, to the House. I will be brief. This matter relates to the Rebuilding Ireland home loans scheme, of which the Minister of State will be fully aware. He will also be fully aware of the controversy around it.There is an element of misunderstanding or misinformation out there. It is important, therefore, that clarification is provided on the current status of the Rebuilding Ireland home loan, which is a very effective and important scheme. It is one of the many initiatives we need to address the issue of providing housing, including affordable and social housing. There is a broad spectrum of routes that must be pursued. There is no one-size-fits-all solution but this is a particularly good scheme that I welcome.

I hope the Minister of State will be able to clarify some issues related to the status of the initiative. An internal document released by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to "Morning Ireland" under freedom of information legislation revealed that the scheme had been put on hold because it had run out of funding. That was subsequently denied but I have seen documentation that confirms that is the case, so I do not think that is in dispute. In the Dáil recently, the Minister indicated that he was seeking a second tranche of funding to address these issues, which I welcome. The Taoiseach confirmed in the Dáil that 575 people had availed of the scheme. A further 1,000 applications had been approved but funding had not been drawn down. There may or may not be issues with some of the 1,000 applicants concerned. I have been in touch with a number of local authorities, five of which have confirmed that they have run out of money. That is not to say that the scheme has ended. However, the capacity of local authorities to grant further funding is on hold until there is clarification. That is somewhat different from saying the scheme is closed, which is encouraging.

I ask the Minister of State to set out how the negotiations with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are proceeding and how it is intended to bring this scheme back into line. When that information is crystallised and clear, can a new public awareness and information campaign be launched to provide clarity, encourage people and ease their fears? This is an important initiative because it offers some people the only chance they will get of acquiring a home. I know the Taoiseach is conscious of people getting up early in the morning, putting their shoulder to the wheel and doing a day's work. These are people who want to purchase a home. They want to provide a home for themselves and their families. We should pursue this scheme but it would be helpful to get clarification about its future funding.