3.—(1) The Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Finance and subject to such regulations as may be made by the Minister under this section, pay, out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas, a subsidy towards the loan charges incurred by a person in respect of a loan made by an assurance company, a bank, a building society, a credit union, any other industrial or commercial organisation, the Housing Finance Agency plc or a housing authority for the acquisition or construction of a house.

(2) Regulations under this section may, in particular, but without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), make provision in relation to all or any one or more of the following:

(a) the amount of a subsidy, the conditions under which it may be paid and the manner of its payment, including payment by instalments;

(b) the payment to the body making the loan of a subsidy on behalf of the person to whom it is payable under subsection (1) and the conditions under which it is so paid to that body;

(c) the class or classes of houses in respect of which a subsidy may be paid and the class or classes of persons to whom a subsidy may be paid;

(d) requirements in relation to the loan for the house;

(e) requirements in relation to the previous purchase or building of a house by a person or the spouse F1[or civil partner within the meaning of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010] of such person;

(f) the occupation of the house;

(g) the floor area of the house, measured in such manner as may, from time to time, be determined by the Minister;

(h) requirements in relation to the financial and family circumstances of a person to whom a subsidy may be paid;

(i) the time within which application for a subsidy shall be made;

(j) requirements that a person obtaining a subsidy for a new house shall have qualified for a grant in respect of the house under section 4 of the Act of 1979; and

(k) requirements in relation to the payment under any enactment (including this Act) of any other subsidy or grant in respect of the house.

(3) A subsidy shall not be paid under this section unless the house the subject of the subsidy complies with such conditions, if any, as may, from time to time, be determined by the Minister for the purposes of this section in relation to standards of construction of houses and the provision of water, sewerage and other services therein.

(4) Subsections (4) and (5) of section 4 of the Act of 1979 (as amended by this Act) shall apply to a subsidy under this section as they apply to a grant under the said section 4.

(5) In this section “Housing Finance Agency plc” means the agency established under section 2 of the Housing Finance Agency Act, 1981.