Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform

Insolvency Service of Ireland: Discussion

2:20 pm

Photo of Ciarán LynchCiarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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A difficulty will arise even if the system works well. There has been a great deal of misreporting - for example, the suggestion that it would be difficult for a single person with no dependants to live on an allowance of €1,200 per month. I know families that are still meeting their mortgages and would bite one's hand off to get €1,200 per month.

Although how every cent is to be spent by someone in a four or five-year insolvency arrangement is not prescribed, there is a certain degree of expenditure control. Modest credit emergency situations can arise. For example, a car might be written off or might need to be taxed and insured, a daughter might have a first Holy Communion or a son might have a confirmation. People need to access €500 to €2,000 that they do not have, as they are in insolvency arrangements and are consequently locked out of the credit market. Has the ISI given consideration to facilitating such circumstances?