Mortgage holders are facing interest rates of more than 7%. Some households pay thousands of euro more in interest to the banks and the vulture funds. For more than a year, Sinn Féin has been calling for the introduction of mortgage interest relief to support them. The mortgage interest tax credit the Government introduced is simply not working. Of the 700,000 mortgage holders in the State, fewer than 15,000 households have received the credit. So far, 90% of the money allocated has not been drawn down and hundreds of families have been rejected from receiving the support because their incomes are too low. I spoke to a single mother with two children whose application was rejected by Revenue because her income was too low. Her mortgage costs have risen by €5,500 in the space of a year. The Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Humphreys, promised that such families would be able to access support through the Department of Social Protection but when this single mother contacted the Department of Social Protection she was told to go to MABS. This is simply unacceptable. Earlier, I asked the Tánaiste where the 50,000 affordable houses were that he promised the electorate four years ago. He was not able to answer that. Maybe he can answer this question. Where is the scheme the two Ministers in the Government promised that nobody can find and which is supposed to help mortgage holders who do not have an income?

As Deputy Doherty knows, budget 2024 introduced a series of cost-of-living measures, including income tax, energy credits, increases in social protection payments as well as an increase in the bank levy to €200 million. It also provided for a mortgage interest relief measure to help some borrowers with the increase in interest rates. That took place. It did not cover every situation but it has provided some relief and the Minister for Finance was very anxious to bring it in.

I also welcome the announcement this week by PTSB that the bank will cut mortgage interest rates for new and existing customers by up to 1.05%. These rate reductions mark the third set of cuts to fixed-rate mortgages at PTSB since last December.

Answer the question.

Markets expect the ECB to cut policy interest rates several times this year, with the first cuts-----

What is the point of me turning up here? What is the point of turning up if the Tánaiste is not going to answer the questions?

Generally, our cost-of-living measures-----

I am asking about the Department of Social Protection.

Let me be clear on something.

What is the point?

I have no power or authority to direct the Taoiseach to give Deputy Doherty, or any other Member for that matter, any particular answer. The question has been posed and the Tánaiste has given an answer and that is the end of it.