Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 October 2026
146. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the towns of Kilcock, Maynooth, Celbridge and Leixlip have been considered as part of the review of the County Kildare property price ceiling under the first home scheme; and whether housing market conditions in these towns are examined in the context of the greater Dublin area. [69118/26]
View answer173. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether, as part of the review of property price ceilings under the first home scheme, the Department has examined housing affordability and new-home pricing trends in commuter-belt locations; and the factors taken into account when assessing the continued suitability of existing ceilings. [69117/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 173 together.
The First Home Scheme supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market, or building their own home, through the use of an equity share model, within price ceilings established across the country.
The Scheme is overseen and managed by the First Home Scheme Ireland Designated Activity Company (DAC), on behalf of the shareholders - the State and participating mortgage lenders (AIB, BOI, and PTSB).
The DAC is fully responsible for the operation of the scheme on behalf of all shareholders - the State and participating pillar banks. At its launch, the First Home Scheme DAC announced it would review all price ceilings at 6-month intervals, including Kildare. The DAC consider a range of factors as part of these reviews, including the median price and volume of new builds purchased by first time buyers in each local authority area including at sub county level where relevant.
At the end of June 2026, the First Home Scheme DAC published the outcome of its eighth scheduled review of price ceilings. Following this review price ceilings were revised for 8 local authority areas. The new price ceilings came into effect on 1 July 2026. The First Home Scheme DAC will continue to monitor the price ceilings nationwide as part of any future review. The next price ceiling review is expected in December to be implemented in January 2027.
The DAC is responsible for collating and issuing statistical information as it pertains to the scheme and publish www.firsthomescheme.ie/about-the-company/quarterly-updates/on their website. The latest quarterly report shows that Kildare has the greatest number of approvals (1,432) and drawdowns (846) of any Local Authority up to Q2 2026.
