Fairness of the £1,000 grant
Harte argued the scheme unfairly excluded people improving poor homes while assisting wealthier first-time buyers; Barrett said he had no plans to revise it.
Would the Minister now accept that the £1,000 grant scheme as outlined in the manifesto is a most unfair method of grant-aiding the building of houses? For example, the children of rich families who never owned a house before will qualify for the £1,000 grant whereas a young man who owns a poor house, no matter what condition it is in, will not qualify if he wants to improve his housing circumstances. This militates against the lower income group of the community. Would the Minister, after his two years' experience in office, not abolish this system and introduce one in keeping with the cost of living and in keeping with the need of families who are building houses?
