Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

No, but as was raised by a Member, that is the context of this support. I am in favour of supporting first-time buyers but one of the reasons they need support is that they are up against speculative purchasers that are also helped by other schemes which outweigh this one. They are in a situation where builders have been allowed to hoard land for strategic housing developments, get planning permission and not deliver on that housing. That is creating a shrunken market in which investors are disproportionately powerful. I do not have a fundamental objection to this scheme but it is a band-aid and we are allowing the wounds in the system to continue untreated. That is my concern.