Explained By Prime Time

Irish banks charge some of the highest mortgage interest rates in the Eurozone. Are they ripping-off customers? Adam Maguire and Petula Martyn explain how the banks set their rates, to give you an idea of what you're paying for.

The housing crisis is one of the central issues of our time. Many people say we need to build far more social housing than planned, to help solve it. For many decades, the State built huge numbers of houses in Ireland, then it stopped. What happened, and why? Mark Coughlan and Aisling Kenny talk you through the background and the current debate.

What was once a major purchase, can now cost less than a taxi to the airport, if you're lucky. Tommy Meskill and Maria Flannery take you through what changed in the world of air travel, to cause the price of flights to plummet.

The war in Syria has ballooned from a local uprising to a global conflict. Colm Ó Mongáin and Moign Khawaja explain how the war has developed, which countries are involved, and what you need to know about a conflict that's changed Europe, the Middle East, the Gulf, and beyond.

Under new domestic abuse laws, people can now be prosecuted for psychologically abusing a partner. Ireland's become one of the first countries in the world to criminalise what's called 'coercive control', but how will prosecutions proceed through the courts? Della Kilroy and Fran McNulty explain.

The Magdelene laundries, mother & baby homes, and industrial schools may have closed decades ago, but what happened in them still regularly tops the news agenda. Tanya Sillem and Mick Peelo take you through how the institutional system functioned, and affected generations of Irish people.

Do you understand how the Troubles affect the Brexit debate? Using footage from the RTÉ archives, Miriam O'Callaghan and Aoife Hegarty detail how The Troubles in Northern Ireland developed, and changed, through the decades.

League of Ireland football once attracted huge numbers of ticket-buying fans. In more recent years, clubs have been lucky to get a few thousand people through the gate... so what happened? And is that changing? Kevin Brannigan and Samantha Libreri talk you through some of the history of the league, and explain why the best days may still be ahead.

Struggling to keep up with the ever-changing Brexit process? You're not alone. Conor Wilson and Mary Regan explain what you need to know about Brexit - where the red lines have been drawn, how the single market differs from the customs union, and who wants what from the biggest political and economic issue of our time.

Ireland's low corporate tax rate is a major part of our wider economic policy, but it's been controversial both domestically and internationally. Robert Shortt and Richard Downes talk you through how the policy was set up, and explain how our huge corporate tax income is coming under increasing pressure, as international organisations try to change the rules around how multinational companies pay tax.

The Government says the carbon tax is set to quadruple over the next ten years, as part of its efforts to tackle climate change. It'll increase the price of key fuels including petrol, diesel and home heating oil. Robert Shortt and Mark Coughlan explain how the policy might be implemented, and how it could affect you.

Ireland's system for processing asylum applications, and providing accommodation centres for applicants, has been heavily criticised by several humanitarian organisations. Some say the direct provision system should be shut down due to human rights concerns. Others point to growing worries about immigration at the time it was set up, and the potential impact on local communities of significant numbers of immigrants. Why was direct provision put in place, and what has happened the asylum process since then? Brian O'Connell and Ciara Ní Bhroin explain.