Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry, 6,200 long-term offers. Excluding what I will call the engage or repossess letters, there have been 2,700 offers. Of these, 439 have been voluntary surrenders, which brings down the figure to 2,300 genuine engagements for people who can stay in their houses and who now know there is an offer from AIB. The bank has not exceeded the targets. It has not even reached or come halfway close to the targets. I put it to Mr. Duffy that after waiting this length of time, AIB has failed dramatically tens of thousands of customers who are in mortgage arrears in coming up with long-term sustainable solutions and that this window-dressing concerning the legal letters pertains to trying to reach targets. What members expected but hoped would not materialise was that if targets were set, the banks would reach them. The head of the Central Bank stated precisely the same thing to the finance committee. His concern was that if targets were set for the banks, they would reach them. I believe this is an absolutely blatant and appalling way and it is disgraceful that AIB has issued 6,000 letters and is trying to pretend this constitutes reaching the targets in some way, shape or form. I do not suggest those who have not paid or engaged for the past three years should be left off the hook, but Mr. Duffy should not pretend this constitutes offering long-term reasonable solutions.