Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. Their stories are scary because they are dealing with the lives of families and children, which can have an awful effect as they go from week to week trying to pay the bills without knowing what is going to happen or if there will be a good end to this. We spoke about an independent regulator but I believe we should look at something along the lines of the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS. There should be a place one can ring for legal advice because there seems to be no communication at the moment. The witnesses have been looking for help but no one has responded. We do not want them to have to come back next year or the year after - it is unfair on them and on the families who are affected. The Government needs to take action and we need to look at some help so that these people can feel they are being listened to. Timing is of the essence.

We need to look at a short-term home improvement loan and tax breaks and the Department needs to give a commitment to getting back to the witnesses on these issues. Unless a person is affected by something they do not realise what it is like. These people are wondering how they can meet next week's bill. Christmas is coming and some people dread Christmas because they have extra bills.

I will be looking for something like MABS or the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, to be set up for people such as the group before us today to ring. I compliment the group. They are stronger in numbers and people need to hear their stories so the more they highlight them the more people will say it is unfair. We are fully supportive of them. If there is anything Fianna Fáil can do, we will work with other groups to make sure they are not in the same position this time next year.