Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Let me, sorry, let me just share for ... what's called a germane disclosure in counselling, a relevant experience that assists the client. An experience I had knocking on a door one day in Cork was to meet a couple. One was a public servant who was on a mid-income level and the other one was working in the pharmaceutical industry in Cork. Back in the day, one of them would have been able to afford a house on their own, and it was like an episode of Dan Paddy Andy. The bank manager told them that they needed to get married so they could get a mortgage. So it's like going to a matchmaker instead of going to your bank. Even with the combined incomes, they could no longer afford an entry price house and they were earning too much to qualify for affordable housing.