Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We support the Order of Business, naturally. I will begin by welcoming the announcement by the Central Bank that it will change its mortgage lending rules for the first time to relax the restrictions on how much money people can borrow in order to finance a house purchase. We must all be conscious of not burdening people with too much debt but we accept that we need to loosen up some more money for people who are desperately trying to buy houses at present. As the Leader knows, from January 2023 first-time buyers will be able to borrow up to four times their salaries for a mortgage. It was about three and a half times. It should be noted that the Central Bank stated that separated or divorced people may now be considered first-time buyers as part of a fresh start policy - this is has been an issue for politicians up and down the country - as long as they no longer have an interest in their former properties. I welcome that as well. This proposal will bring new life to the construction industry, especially in regard to those badly needed and absolutely necessary houses. A number of major construction companies intend to up the ante of their building programmes from January 2023, which is good news. With the pandemic and the situation in Ukraine, businesses, particularly those in construction, have had difficulty getting off the ground properly. I welcome that news and hope it will be of benefit to the many people who are currently trying to get on the property ladder.

We should also acknowledge, as I am sure the Leader will, the amazing performance of the Irish ladies' boxing team in the European championships. At this stage it has seven bronze medals, which has never been done before by any boxing team - male or female. Some of those medals will hopefully turn silver and gold. It is an extraordinary feat by any country, especially a little island like Ireland, that we have people like Aoife O'Rourke from my county of Roscommon, Kellie Harrington, Caitlin Fryers, Amy Broadhurst, Christina Desmond, Michaela Walsh and Shannon Sweeney. They have all brought glory to Ireland in this championship and it is not over yet. It is fantastic and I am sure all Members, including the Leader and the Cathaoirleach, will join me in congratulating them in a major way.

Finally I will address an issue that has been ongoing for some time. I ask that every avenue be explored to ensure the €1,000 payment to people, particularly those who worked in nursing homes during the pandemic, is paid without further delay. I accept that issues have arisen that probably no one foresaw, but it is extraordinary that 46,000 people who worked in nursing homes are still waiting for the payment. It is everyone's wish that we get the payment over the line as quickly as possible.