Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I am not trying to avoid any questions. I have not seen the Cooney report and, as such, am not aware of what delivery mechanisms are proposed, whether they can be implemented immediately or whether there will be a lead-in time. As I said, both reports should be available in the coming weeks and decisions will be made speedily thereafter. I do not know what the complexities of implementation would be but I agree about the urgency of this issue and the importance of saving people's homes where possible. This is different from looking at the mortgage interest supplement on its own because in many cases we are looking at a range of debts, not just the mortgage. Without taking a total view, it is not possible to resolve people's financial issues and that is an important part of the Cooney report.

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