Mr. Brendan O'Connor:

We seek to have the mortgage prioritised. If we are to prioritise keeping someone in his or her home, we will seek a priority payment on the mortgage. We do not only consider the issue in the context of other debts. There are other expenses also. The issue of educational expenses was raised. In a case such as the one raised by the Deputy we would provide for forbearance for a couple of years if the person was putting children through college and had to pay a registration fee of €3,000 per annum or whatever it might be. I am not trying to deflect the Deputy's question, but as we work on a case by case basis, I cannot answer without the full details. To the extent that there is forbearance, it obviously makes sense for us if it is our debt, although it depends on the nature of the debt. In a case such as the one the Deputy describes it may well be that the person would be better off entering into a personal insolvency arrangement to have the unsecured debts receive a haircut on the basis that they are not sustainable. I am not trying to deflect the Deputy's question, but I cannot answer without specific details. However, on the basis of the information presented, I do not consider the request made by the Deputy's constituent to be unreasonable.