Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would love to go into more detail with Mr. Davitt but the Chairman is pressing me for time. What should be the appropriate loan to value ratio for a mortgage? It is probably the basis for a wider debate. Should it be 95% regardless of who insures it? This is the real question.

I wish to touch on several other major issues identified in one of the presentations. Serious concerns have been raised about the capacity of the case-by-case approach to deal with the systemic problem of rent supplement levels. The discretion of deciding officers, which has existed since the mid-1970s, was noted. The witnesses are not clear about what additional benefits the new policy announced might offer in responding to a systemic problem with regard to inadequate rent supplement levels. Will the witnesses speak about this and what needs to be done if it is the case?

Another point, on which I had not picked up, is the issue of young people becoming homeless and I ask for details on the percentage involved. Between 50% and 75% of the €100 a week they can receive in social welfare would need to go on emergency accommodation. A call has been made to allow them to avail of the full over-26 rate of social welfare provision.