Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

My experiences give me an appreciation of the substantial challenges faced by people who are suddenly faced with having to queue outside their local dole office, where everybody can see them. They have to deal with their bills and, particularly, their mortgages in those circumstances. I have no sympathy for financial institutions that go after such people. When the managing director of the EBS addressed an Oireachtas committee, he made some positive and radical proposals for dealing with debt. I challenge him and his counterparts in the other institutions to put their money where their mouths are by looking after people who are struggling. We need to consider the various proposals in this regard which have been made by Deputies on all sides of the House. I hope the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, is in his office watching my contribution and wondering what I will say next. When he came to Tallaght a few weeks ago, it was his first trip out into the real world after his appointment as Minister for Social Protection. We were delighted to welcome him to Tallaght.

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