Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Is there an argument to be made, for instance, that once somebody has completed a year of a mortgage arrears resolution process, MARP, is in employment and paying a sustainable amount and intends to continue to do so, the regulations or even the legislation might need to be changed to extend the period of the process for him or her? We have cases that are very difficult, in which the people involved have done their best and achieved what they said they would. They are not going to be able to pay off large blocks of the arrears because they do not have the resources to do so. Is there a need to examine the MARP period? By all means, having a shorter, one-year, period is fine, but once people have successfully completed it and are in a clear position to sustain an arrangement, should the period not be reviewed?