Central Bank pours cold water on help to buy scheme

The extension of the state’s €20,000 help-to-buy scheme is facing another blow with the Central Bank understood to have concerns that it is now effectively acting as a subsidy to builders.

The scheme is due to run out later this year and the banking industry has been pushing heavily for the government to extend it beyond 2019. However, senior regulatory officials have said that the merits of the scheme are now questionable as ...