Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I thank the representatives of Permanent TSB for attending. From its figures presented to us, 179 people have had properties repossessed. In 195 more cases, the bank has got a judgment for repossession. There is then a whopping 3,945 cases in which court proceedings have been initiated. Notwithstanding that the number of people in arrears over 90 days is falling, the bank still has large numbers of mortgage arrears, essentially 16,000 principal private dwellings and more than 3,000 buy-to-lets. Are we moving towards a significant escalation in repossessions? Is it a case that some of the easier lifting has been done with those who can afford deals but now we are facing into those in extreme difficulty who will have their homes repossessed? Is that the likely scenario as we move deeper into the cases of householders with greater difficulties?