Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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308. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of help-to-buy scheme mortgages drawn down in Waterford and nationally in two years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12355/23]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Help to Buy (HTB) incentive is a scheme to assist first-time purchasers with the deposit they need to buy or build a new house or apartment. The incentive gives a refund of Income Tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT) paid in the State over the previous four years, subject to limits outlined in the legislation. The incentive is accessed via an online-only application process which has been available since 3rd January 2017, currently covering the period 19 July 2016 to 31 December 2024.

I am advised by Revenue that applications for HTB may be made on a provisional basis as first-time buyers seek to clarify their entitlements in advance of commencing the purchase of a property. An application will only progress to the “claim” stage if and when the applicant decides to purchase a property that is eligible for the scheme. First-time buyers can submit their claim once a contract is signed for the purchase of a property. In the case of self-builds, the claim can be submitted after the draw-down of the first tranche of the mortgage.

When a claim is submitted, the information provided must be verified by the qualifying contractor or the solicitor acting on behalf of the self-builder. Claims cannot be approved and paid until the qualifying contractor or solicitor has verified the claim.

Revenue have advised that the table below provides a county breakdown of the number of approved claims for the years 2021 and 2022, based on the date of the commencement of the claim stage:

In addition to this, monthly statistics are also available and published online at: www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/information-about-revenue/statistics/tax-expenditures/htb/htb-monthly.aspx