A spokesman for the Department of Finance was quick to pour scorn on the suggestion saying that the Cabinet had not considered the idea.

Fine Gael, Labour Fianna Fail and Green Party TDs were also quick to distance themselves from the suggestion. “What is he playing at? Is he trying to bring politics into repute? The public will never buy it,” one TD said.

However, seasoned observers of Leinster House said the issue was a storm in a tea cup. “It’s just talk,” one observer said. “There won’t be any real help for homeowners. No one is going to bring politics into repute.”