I think that the Central Bank could be more flexible here.
I agree that long-term problems need long-term, case by case, solutions.
But if someone has a short-term payment problem, they should be able to avail of a short-term solution like interest-only or a payment break, without all the bureaucracy of MARP.
Even if the Central Bank thinks it should be limited to 6 months, anyone who has not availed of a payment break of 6 months up until now, should be able to avail of it.
The closure of the scheme penalises responsible borrowers who used their savings to keep up their mortgage payments but who are now in trouble and can't avail of a payment break easily.
Brendan