Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I support the amendment and commend Deputy Shortall for tabling it. Everybody in the House recognises that there has been a significant increase in the number of people seeking representation and assistance with their appeals. Given the economic change we are experiencing, I expect those numbers will grow. The difficulty of delays in the appeals process causes huge trauma and concern to the householders involved.

In trying to deal with those cases, it is important that we have a publicity campaign to encourage mortgage holders who find themselves in difficulty to talk to their lending agent, be it a bank or building society, because by negotiating with the lender at least they will hopefully stave off the process of foreclosure. We already see a substantial increase in the number of applications by one particular lending agent against householders. I look forward to judges in the High Court taking a constructive view of that process because in some cases mortgages were given out by lending agents that had no prospect of being paid given the age and income of the mortgage applicant. That is disgraceful. It is important that the lending agencies carry their share of responsibility in terms of a mortgage holder's ability to repay a mortgage.

A couple of weeks ago I received a representation from a man who secured a substantial mortgage at the age of 50 for a 20-year period for in excess of €100,000. He would have to work until he is 70 to repay it, but the lending institution is foreclosing on him and he will lose his home. That is ridiculous. I do not believe he should lose his home. It is a pity he did not have better legal representation because the case could have been made that the High Court should not have found in favour of the lender.

Given the economic situation, it is clear there will be an ever-increasing number of applicants for mortgage interest supplements. I hope the Minister can find some pathway to resolving the lengthy delay in the process and to iron out the bottlenecks because they are causing huge concern. That will affect all of us, as well as our constituents, to an increasing extent.

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