John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I allowed the Senator some latitude because we have time. It is my turn to put questions and it is not that I am using the position to make it my turn.

The Rebuilding Ireland home loan is now the local authority home loan and it is an excellent product that provides finance to enable people to get their foot on the ladder. Perhaps the witnesses might correct me but I believe there was a decision taken during the pandemic that was unfortunate, as it affected people in the process of having a loan approved who were in receipt of a wage subsidy from the State because of the pandemic, or where the State was underwriting the employment that supported the employee during the pandemic. I know of an incident involving a chap living with his wife and kid who had an application approved prior to the pandemic. It then came to the drawing-down process. His employer was in receipt of the wage subsidy scheme and although the man had got a promotion, was working more hours and in receipt of a higher income, he could not draw down the loan. He was also told to come back six months after his employer came off the wage subsidy scheme. We are still in that period. "hat is the position now where an employer has come off the wage subsidy scheme? The employee is in employment and will continue in it, please God and all going well, for as long as he wants. Does he have to wait six months to apply for the loan again?