Were they Gardai, lawyers, accountants or civil servants? They can get loans handy enough at present as their income is guaranteed.
In all cases they were public sector workers or had very secure jobs.
It seems to me that banks are still willing to provide mortgages once they can be assured those applying have a reasonable deposit, the valuation on the house is realistic, the amount applied for is not more than 4.5x annual salary and the income stream is secure.
Sounds like the kind of prudent lending the banks should have been doing all along rather than a case for government intervention.