Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Let us consider this matter carefully for a moment. What is terribly important is that debtors are not misled as to the practical possibility of entering into personal insolvency arrangements. One of the ways of ensuring that PIPs will be experts and will put forward practical proposals - they will put forward only proposals which are practical - is that they will not be paid unless the proposal is agreed. I am sure people will take up work in this area as personal insolvency practitioners on the understanding that if an agreement and a resolution are not brought about, they will not be paid. There will be people willing to work on that basis. Let us consider the issue raised by the Deputy in respect of inexperienced people who, perhaps, lack the capacity to resolve issues effectively as intermediaries between debtors and creditors and who simply make up proposals which have no chance of success and for which they are paid a fee. The incentive to ensure that PIPs put forward proposals that are practical and reasonable is that if they do not properly guide debtors through the process, they will not be paid.