Election 2024: Fine Gael silent on alleged use of foreign building site photos in housing document
Taoiseach The Line His Said Would For That Government Issue In To Retention Red Help Of Buy Be Harris The Formation A Scheme Party Simon
Fine Gael has unveiled a €40bn housing plan though the party did not comment on whether pictures which appear to be of foreign building sites were used in the document.
Taoiseach Simon Harris launched the plan at Fine Gael campaign headquarters on Monday, saying that the retention of the Help To Buy scheme would be a red-line issue for his party in government formation.
The document features a number of photos of housing, but reverse image searches suggest one is of a Dutch construction site and another is in the UK.
Likewise, the image on the cover of the document appears to be AI-generated, showing bricks across windows and uneven walls. One image in the booklet shows Mr Harris at a launch for affordable purchase homes at Shanganagh Castle in Dublin.
Fine Gael did not respond to a request for comment, asking why those pictures were used and not Irish developments.
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On the policy, the Taoiseach said that the Help To Buy scheme — which helps with the deposit needed to buy a home — would be a central plank of making homeownership a reality for younger people.
The party's plan would extend relief under the Help to Buy scheme to €40,000 which would represent a 33% increase since the last adjustment in 2020.
The party also proposes extending the scheme to cover first-time buyers of second-hand homes. Both schemes will be continued for a further five years.
However, his Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said that he was not worried about the scheme leading to higher house prices, saying that supply would be key in tackling this.
A review of the scheme by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) last month said that the scheme risks raising prices due to focusing on the demand side of the market, rather than supply.
“The scheme has been described as a demand side intervention to address a supply side deficit, and a Department of Finance-commissioned review of the scheme found it to be poorly targeted and recommended it be phased out and restructured to more appropriately target recipients and reduce the deadweight,” the PBO said.
Mr Harris said that housing was the "key issue" of the election and for his party.
"I’ve met young people the length and breadth of Ireland. I’ve sat in the parents’ sitting rooms, and I’ve talked to young people who want to move out of the family home and be able to buy their own home. And let me be very clear, it will be a red line issue for this party," Mr Harris said.
Fine Gael's plan proposes building 12,000 affordable homes for purchase annually by 2030 and increasing the geographic spread of Affordable Purchase schemes by "collaborating with local authorities to expand affordable purchase options in all counties".
The party also wants to set a target of an 8-week turnaround from ‘sale agreed’ to handing over the keys, supported by "e-conveyancing and e-probate for faster processing to home ownership".
Fine Gael has also pledged to raise the renter's tax credit by €500 to €1,500 if re-elected.
Of the €40b spend, some €10b will come from the Apple Tax fund, with Mr Harris indicating that the remaining €4b would be invested in energy and water infrastructure.