Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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443. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will review the affordable housing scheme to ensure that these houses are actually affordable, regardless of location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42963/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of this Government’s housing policy. Since 2021 over 8,500 affordable housing supports have now been delivered through the various measures we have established and are currently implementing through our delivery partners.

Since the launch of Housing for All, close to 1,000 local authority affordable purchase homes at upfront affordable prices have been provided and the pipeline continues to grow as over 3,100 affordable purchase homes are approved for funding support across 21 local authority areas.

The upfront price that purchasers availing of the local authority affordable purchase scheme pay for their new home is based on their purchasing power and means. The affordability gap between the market value of the home and the upfront price being paid sets the size of equity stake held by the local authority, generally redeemable at a time of the purchaser's choosing.

Operating under similar principles, the First Home Scheme is a further key support for first-time buyers. Its published Quarter 3 2024 report showed that over 5,560 approvals have issued since its launch in 2022.

Together with the Croí Cónaithe Towns schemes and Help to Buy, these affordable purchase measures are seeing high demand and are proving highly effective in addressing the affordability challenges so many people are facing.