Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On how the banks deal with those in arrears, does Mr. O'Leary think the codes of conduct in place in that regard are strong enough? Does the ombudsman's office have oversight in that regard or is it necessary to make a complaint? A lot of this work is outsourced to service companies, either within or outside bank organisations. Part of the difficulty is that, having made an agreement for a period of time and despite paying and keeping to it, the moment it is up people are back under the threat of having their house repossessed. Even those who go to jail get time off for good behaviour, but if someone reaches a deal with a bank, it is a different story. This seems to be routine across the sector, although it is particularly strong in some institutions, and it is really difficult for some to deal with.