Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and Sinn Féin for this motion. I fully support any calls for specific measures to provide mortgage interest relief for homeowners. For example, a scheme could and urgently should be designed to provide temporary relief for homeowners facing financial hardship, or to help first-time buyers get on to the property ladder. The scheme could also target certain groups of homeowners, such as those with low incomes or those who are struggling to meet their mortgage payments due to changes in interest rates.

Various other EU countries have already implemented policies to support homeowners who are struggling with mortgage payments. These policies have taken different forms such as temporary financial assistance, tax relief, applying pressure on lenders or giving incentives to lenders to offer more favourable mortgage terms.

In Ireland, we are witnessing the negative impacts of rising interest rates on both existing homeowners and first-time buyers. Higher monthly mortgage payments are now putting a significant strain on the personal finances of families and homeowners, especially as inflation is eating away at their incomes and the cost of everything else has also increased.

Deputy Mattie McGrath has just touched on the cost of fuel, which I brought up in the Chamber in the past week. VAT was taken off fuel in the past year. Surely to God the Government is not even considering putting any percentage of that back up again in the next couple of weeks. The Government is putting off the decision for another couple of weeks, and talking about soft blows, but everyone in Ireland is feeling a very hard blow at present.

We hear about a tax take of billions and how happy the Government is about it. Where are the ordinary people in all of this? They are suffering on a day-to-day basis. There are fuel costs for farmers and fishermen. There was a fuel subsidy from Europe to Ireland, worth €5 million. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, would not put his hands out, gather that money and give it back to the inshore fishermen or larger trawler fishermen. He refused to do so.

We have a farming crisis caused by the price of fertiliser. Farm incomes have not got any higher. Lack of housing is another major issue. There is a lack of infrastructure, transport, services for the public and home help hours for the elderly. There are many issues. The people have had enough. I fully support measures being put in place for homeowners.

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