Aideen Hayden (Labour)
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I welcome the witnesses and share Deputy Lynch's view on concerns relating to the Central Bank's statement on access to home ownership. I am interested in the comments that were made on an insurance product and it has been noted today that such insurance products were quite common in the 1980s and 1990s. The loan-to-value ratio was lower in those cases. I am concerned about the ability of people in contract employment to access funding. Could the witnesses come back to the committee on how such a product could work in the market? The Minister for Finance has asked the committee to consider the recommendations of the Central Bank and we should broaden our net as far as possible. The level of home ownership in Ireland is almost at an all-time low - it has dropped by over 10% in the past five to seven years and that is spectacular.