The Finance Minister will meet the Central Bank's Governor today to try to push banks to cut their variable rate mortgages.

Michael Noonan's talks with Patrick Honohan come after Fianna Fáil claimed borrowers were being charged far more than they should.

However, he could face some resistance after a Central Bank official warned it would be "undesirable" for the institution to control rates.

With Ireland's top lenders now returning to profit, and with ECB interest rates at a record low, all sides of the Dáil now believe it's time for the banks to offer some relief to variable rate mortgage borrowers.

Enda Kenny says expects the banks to "do better" to give customers lower interest rates on their mortgages and his Finance Minister will meet the Central Bank's Governor on the issue.

Michael Noonan says the purpose of the meeting will be to discuss how best to influence the banks to reduce their rates for customers who are paying up to €3,000 more than the EU average.

However, the Central Bank's Chief Economist Gabriel Fagan has dampened expectations of putting pressure on the banks and warned that it would be "undesirable" for the institution to seek to control rates.

Michael Murray - former banker and columnist with the Sunday Business Post - doesn't expect much to come of today's meeting: