Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I hope we would not be seen to be using the people who are homeless in the context of attempting to resolve a problem. They are abused already. One of the contributing factors is where lending institutions repossess homes. We need to have an exchange of views with representatives of the lending institutions because it is an issue we all come across on a daily basis. Court cases are held on a regular basis. I would strongly support people in that position but two issues arise in that regard. The first is where the borrowers are intent on doing their best to meet their payments in so far as they can. We have to respect and acknowledge that. When people become homeless as a result of the lending institution foreclosing on them, we must be sympathetic towards them. All of us have dealt with those cases in recent years.

It is not a thing that happened today or yesterday; it has been going on for a number of years. I request that the term "lending institutions" be inserted there.