Rebuilding Ireland home loans
Deputy Calleary challenged the Minister on whether councils were still accepting Rebuilding Ireland home loan applications. The Minister said councils could continue accepting them and that the scheme still had money, while the Deputy reacted sceptically.
On Tuesday of this week, my colleague, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, raised the issue of Rebuilding Ireland home loans with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government. Frankly, there are people on "Love Island" who know more about what is going on in the Irish housing market than the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, whose absolutely ridiculous responses on the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme misled the House. I ask the Minister, Deputy Bruton, to tell the House whether it is true that councils are no longer accepting applications for the home loan scheme. When will the Government be in a position to give clear and straight answers and tell the truth about this scheme? When will extra funding be made available to the thousands of people who are seeking mortgages to buy houses and get a start in life? The Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, does not seem to give a damn about such people.
Comment on this
While I do not have access to the full information, I reject any suggestion that the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, is doing anything other than trying to be clear with the House. As I understand it, some of the money that has been assigned to this scheme has been drawn down, but there is money remaining to be drawn down. The councils have been notified that they can continue to accept and deal with home loans. The Minister will be coming forward to the House in due course. This is a successful scheme. I am sure he will be looking to extend it in due course. I will have to ask the Minister to respond to the Deputy on when that might occur.