I want to raise an issue under the Tánaiste's remit as Minister for Finance, namely the help to buy scheme and the property price ceiling of €500,000. Despite some reservations about this scheme, I am a strong supporter of it. It has benefited over 60,000 first-time buyers, to purchase homes since its introduction and given them their tax back up to the maximum of €30,000. However, the Tánaiste will have seen yesterday the CSO figures which put the median price of a house in Dublin at €500,000. That is both second-hand and new properties. Many new properties are much more expensive than €500,000. This is not just a Dublin issue; this is also an issue in places like Cork and other main urban areas. Therefore, we need to move the limit above the €500,000. In reality, many first-time buyers are now prevented from benefiting from the help to buy scheme because of the price ceiling. When it was introduced in 2017, nine years ago, it was set at €500,000. There has been 24% price inflation since that period, so it makes no sense for us not to adjust the figure to reflect somewhat the inflationary pressures since then. I ask the Tánaiste to look at this. I appreciate that it probably has to be a budgetary issue but I am flagging it as early as possible.

There is indeed a commitment in the programme for Government to look at this. In that context, we will look at it, and I thank the Deputy for raising it with me. It is a fine balance and we have to consider all these things in the round, in terms of the quantum that may be available for a tax package in the budget and how we wish to deploy that while also making sure that we do not cause undue inflationary pressures on housing or the like. We need to think of all this in the round. There is the question of how the first home scheme operates too. I too am proud of the help to buy scheme. It has helped over 60,000 people. I am pleased that we have confirmed that it will continue for the lifetime of this Government, and there is a commitment in the programme for Government to review that scheme. We will undertake that review and I will revert to the Deputy then.