Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their statements. I wish to address the mortgage figures. In his opening statement, Mr. Hayes stated that first-time buyers' activity remains strong in the 12 months ending July 2023 and there were 30,000 first-time buyer mortgages approved that were valued at €8.4 million, which is the highest annualised level since the data series began in 2011. Is that the highest number of first-time mortgages or is it being driven by the ever-increasing housing crisis?