It is unbelievable and unacceptable that the Minister for Finance should penalise those struggling to acquire their first home, yet retain considerably higher allowances for members of the Government on salaries and other allowances that ordinary people can only dream about. Being privileged politicians, Ministers can claim 100% tax relief on mortgages for their second homes in Dublin and also standard tax relief on their constituency houses. A suggestion which has emerged and which should be implemented by the Minister is that mortgage interest relief be doubled for first-time buyers for the first five years. This is an issue in which the Taoiseach has a moral obligation to intervene, given the many serious and social repercussions attached to it.