Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is most disappointing to see who is driving the number of civil bills in our courts seeking house repossessions. In counties Cork, Limerick, Donegal and my own of Kerry, Bank of Ireland accounts for 6% whereas the State-owned banks - AIB and PTSB - account for approximately 60%. Mortgage stress is the most painful legacy of the previous Administration's decade of economic mismanagement. The current Government is set to announce new measures designed to focus on the still unacceptably large number of families in long-term mortgage arrears and facing repossession. The Taoiseach has not excluded the possibility of further legislation on the matter. The Insolvency Service of Ireland does a good job. It is there to help in a practical and understanding way. Thankfully, the number of people availing of personal insolvency arrangements has increased. These arrangements form a solution to the arrears problem. However, the system only works with the co-operation of all concerned, including every bank. There can be no solution to the debt problem without the banks' co-operation. They must engage in good faith. Even at this stage, I encourage them to engage more forcefully and constructively with people in distress. I hope that there will be further progress. Judges act with compassion. I hope that we will see fewer cases before the courts. While there were more than 100 cases in Limerick recently, only two saw judges granting orders.