Fine Gael will Give First Time Buyers a Break with Solutions that Work- Heydon

• €30,000 for First Time Buyers under increased Help to Buy Scheme

• Over 30% of houses bought last year were by first-time buyers

Fine Gael in government will continue to support first time buyers by increasing the grant under the Help to Buy Scheme by €10,000 to €30,000.

Chairman of the Fine Gael Party Martin Heydon said today:

“We understand that first time buyers can find it difficult to save up a deposit for their first home, especially if they are renting at the same time. That is why we introduced the Help to Buy Scheme.

“Nearly 16,000 first time buyers have been supported so far. We want to help further. If elected, we will increase this support by €10,000 to €30,000 further taking pressure of aspiring homeowners.

“We brought in this scheme to help those starting off to buy their first house. It has proven to work. This can also be seen by the fact that last year one-third of homes purchased in Ireland were by first-time buyers.

Unfortunately Fianna Fáíl’s reckless proposals would only result in more money in developer’s pocket.  This shouldn’t be surprise as Fianna Fáil is the party of the developer and Galway Tent.  Their proposals wouldn’t make one bit of difference to the affordability of houses for those trying to buy and instead only line the pockets of their old friends the developers.

“Fine Gael have doubled the number of houses being built after Fianna Fáil decimated the sector. We are pledging to double it again. More than 20,000 new homes have been built in 2019 and house prices have stabilised.

“However we know it’s not enough. Increasing the Help to Buy Scheme grant is just one aspect of our housing plans. Fine Gael have the plan, the policies and the people to deliver for first time buyers.”

ENDS