Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

Correct. There was a considerable native household dimension in that as well, as I am sure Deputy Higgins would agree.

In general, Deputy Burton then turned to the question of household security and home security. She has tabled an amendment on lending to small business. Much of what is provided here, the obligation to increase lending, can be secured through the type of mechanism I outline in my amendment.

Her other amendment relates to the question of repossession, which is a serious issue. I agree with Deputy Rabbitte when he stated that if we are to secure social peace in this era, some tangible reassurance about the roof over a person's head must a vital aspect of that. However, the mechanism that Deputy Burton advanced on behalf of the Labour Party, and which was mentioned also by several of the Fine Gael Deputies in the course of their contributions here this afternoon, is that there be a 24 month moratorium. We imposed a 12 month moratorium on Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Ireland as a condition of the recapitalisation. Even that length of moratorium sent alarm bells ringing in rating agencies throughout the world, and we were questioned at length about it. Why should those alarm bells ring?

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