Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to make a contribution to tonight's debate on the legislation proposed by my constituency colleague, Deputy Charles Flanagan, the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Protection of Debtors) Bill 2009. It is a very timely and important Bill covering an issue very much in people's minds and it affects people's daily lives.

While a thorough debate is needed on these issues, the Bill before us is not the way to proceed. It is well intentioned but would be difficult to implement in practice.

The Bill proposes a licensing arrangement for the recovery of consumer and commercial debt and would provide for the establishment of a debt collection regulator. This is an attempt to establish yet another State body or quango. I dare say if this side of the House proposed a debt collection regulator, several Members on the Opposition's front bench would be jumping up and down both in this Chamber and on television before the night was out to accuse us of establishing another quango. That sort of inconsistency is displayed by the Deputies opposite every second week when they propose further quangos despite repeated calls for their abolition.

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