Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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388. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of applications and the number of applications approved, respectively, to the help-to-buy scheme by county in each of the years since the introduction of the scheme to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29716/22]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Help to Buy (HTB) has a two main stages: the application stage and the claim stage. Compliant taxpayers who complete a HTB application are provided with an application number and a summary of the maximum relief available to them under the incentive. A mortgage provider, broker, qualifying contractor or solicitor can use this summary to verify the relief available to the applicant, for the purposes of mortgage approval or drawdown, or signing a house purchase contract.

An application will progress to the claim stage where the applicant decides to purchase a property that is eligible for the scheme. Many applications may never progress to the claim stage because the applicant does not purchase a property or purchases a property not eligible for the scheme.

I am advised by Revenue that a total of 82,900 HTB applications were submitted up to 2 June 2022, excluding cancelled applications.

An application will only progress to the final “claim” stage if and when the applicant decides to purchase a property that is eligible for the scheme. The table below sets out information in respect of the breakdown of HTB applications, by county and year in which the claim stage was reached and subsequently approved.

* Figures for Leitrim and Longford are amalgamated due to the number of claims being fewer than 10 in some years. This is done to protect taxpayer confidentiality.