Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Could Professor Honohan come up with a blended type of offer to the ECB which would involve the banks' holdings of Government bonds?

It is clear to any observer that there is a difficulty with tracker mortgages. For each bank, they make up a different percentage of their mortgage book. Interestingly, Permanent TSB's percentage, contrary to perception, is lower than that of its competitors. I am looking at this issue from the perspective of the consumer in that it is clearly proving a major impediment to the objective of restoring the banks as properly functioning institutions that can compete when it comes to standard variable rates. Are any discussions taking place with a view to coming up with some type of blended solution? There is an onus on the European Central Bank to assist us in this measure and find a solution that is creative and will work. Is this an issue on which the Central Bank is engaging or intends to engage with the ECB?