Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Under Housing for All, there is a policy objective to increase and improve housing options for older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence. Housing for All builds on and takes forward the ongoing actions in "Housing Options for Our Ageing Population" policy statement from 2019, published jointly by my Department and the Department of Health, which provides policy options in support of a range of housing and accommodation alternatives for older people. The actions include the development of a catalogue of housing options that provide a range of choices that meet the diverse need of an ageing population, spanning owner occupier, private rental and social housing, whilst providing accessible care and the associated support needs. My Department, together with the local authorities and the Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), is successfully guiding and delivering age-friendly housing within this framework.

While my Department has no specific scheme in place to assist older people obtaining a mortgage, affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy. As detailed in the Housing for All strategy, the Government has introduced a number of measures to support households and individuals, including older people, wishing to purchase a home, as well as increasing the overall supply of new homes, with an ambitious target of 300,000 new homes up to 2030. This includes the First Home Scheme, the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and an improved Local Authority Home Loan scheme.

Lastly, with regards to mortgage borrowing ability for older people, it is important to note that matters such as mortgage deposit requirements and mortgage borrowing ability come under the remit of the Central Bank of Ireland, which is an independent body. Relevant information is available at the following Central Bank link: www.centralbank.ie/consumer-hub/explainers/what-are-the-mortgage-measures.