Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin is very adept at using language like "targeted", "interim" and so on. When mortgage interest relief was last in operation in 2008, it cost about €700 million. Research showed that the top two deciles of income benefited the most. The broader cost-of-living measures we have introduced in the past 15 months, from January 2022 onwards, will help those who are coming under pressure with increased mortgage repayments. However, we still have the third lowest rates in Europe, at 2.69%. In December, it was revealed that 93% of those who have mortgages have a fixed rate. Those rates are higher than tracker rates and so on. Those who have mortgages from non-lending institutions are a particular focus of the Central Bank. The Minister for Finance, Deputy McGrath, met the Central Bank in respect of that issue recently.

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