Fianna Fáil is calling on the Government to extend the scheme allowing tenants to buy their rental homes.

The Tenant Purchase Scheme offers people the right to buy their local authority houses.

However, it has emerged that people in “Part 5” social housing – built as part of private developments – do not have the same option.

Fianna Fail’s housing spokesperson Barry Cowen thinks thousands of people are being frozen out of the scheme.

He said: “I find it very distressing, very disappointing and very annoying that this opportunity is not being afforded to one sector of the public who have those homes available from local authorities in private estates – and not being in a position like many of their counterparts of not being able to purchase and acquire their home.

“That’s a discrepancy that need to be addressed.”