Pat Casey (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not intend to say too much, though I probably will end up doing so. Having been on the housing committee during the previous Dáil, I have a fair and deep understanding of this issue. The same cases were made when the initial scheme was brought in and they were proved incorrect. In the absence of affordability, the State needs to intervene to give young couples who aspire to own their own homes that opportunity. It might not be the ideal solution but it is a solution that gives families hope of owning their own homes. This scheme did not increase house prices when it was introduced originally and there was a shortage at that time. We have now increased it by another €10,000 and I guarantee that the same sceptics will make the same comments they made when the help-to-buy scheme was first brought in.

I have no problem with supporting anything that helps a family own their own home. Our party is strongly behind home ownership, unlike Senator Gavan's party, which does not stand behind home ownership. It believes everyone should rent for the rest of their lives. We are a party that believes families should own their homes. There is no alternative. This scheme has been successful and should be supported and all Sinn Féin wants to do is remove it completely. There is only this scheme, and a shared equity scheme which the Minister for housing will be launching shortly, to allow families the opportunity to own their own homes while we try to tackle the bigger challenge of dealing with affordability in the long term.