The banks were bailed out in this country at a savage cost to the taxpayers and people of Ireland. The Taoiseach said today that housing was his number one priority. However, is he aware that the banks are delaying mortgages for applicants? They are asking if the applicants are being paid by their companies with the assistance of the employer wage subsidy scheme, which is not right. There are people waiting all year - hundreds of them - and some are dual applicants where a man and a woman are involved, and all they want to do is to start putting a roof over their heads. Is the Taoiseach aware the banks are delaying? Is it going to be the case they will want some kind of confirmation from applicants’ employers as to their ability to be paid for the next ten or 15 years?

I am aware there have been issues in regard to people on the pandemic unemployment payment and the wage subsidy schemes making mortgage applications. The Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform have kept in regular contact with banks about their approach to the loans situation in general during Covid-19, particularly during the severe lockdown phase. We have asked and put it to banks that they should respond in a sensible and appropriate way, and give every break they possibly can to people who are in difficult circumstances at the moment. On the bank side, they have to have assurances of capacity to pay over the medium term and, obviously, Covid-19 and severe lockdowns in certain sectors of the economy have created serious disruption. We know that in certain sectors, such as hospitality, travel and tourism, Covid-19 has caused major economic disruption which, in turn, has led to many people having to go on the pandemic unemployment payment, the employment wage subsidy scheme or the Covid restrictions support scheme.