This week on The Floating Voter, Kevin Doyle is joined in studio by Nicola Anderson and Philip Ryan, with Dublin North West TD Noel Rock as our guest in studio.

The TD has told us how his mortgage application was turned down by two banks because of job insecurity.

Fine Gael backbencher Noel Rock, who is in the process of buying a home in his Dublin North West constituency, told this week’s Floating Voter podcast of his own experience in the property market.

The first-time deputy described how despite his €90,000 salary, bank managers are wary of giving him a loan because they fear a general election.

Mr Rock has not resorted to the ‘bank of man and dad’ as suggested by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar but strongly defended his leaders’ comments, saying it’s a reality in Ireland that people do turn to the parents for help.

The panel, including Kevin Doyle, Philip Ryan and Nicola Anderson, also discussed the latest opinion poll which shows that Mr Varadkar is the most popular Taoiseach since Bertie Ahern.

At the same time the view is that Micheál Martin has stolen a march on his rival when it comes to showing leadership on the issue of abortion.