Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

I would like to make a point about the name of the Bill. FLAC drew attention to a significant section which has been omitted, namely, the section that deals with mortgage interest supplement and the changes that are urgently needed. For example, one party to a mortgage might encounter difficulties. Aspects of the programme for Government address this. An expert group has delivered recommendations on it. It is a major omission from the Bill, because the situation is urgent if we are to have some kind of management of personal and mortgage debt. Why was this not included in the Bill, given the urgency of the problem at this stage? FLAC provided a number of recommendations and I understand the Minister is familiar with them.

The expert group on mortgage arrears provided recommendations in its own report. It is a detailed report but it is specific on some of the recommendations. Perhaps the Minister can explain why it was not deemed to be urgent. It is urgent to comply with matters driven by the EU and the IMF but not to deal with matters of practical difficulty to people who are not even getting a night's sleep because they are worried about whether they will have a roof over their heads.

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