Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I welcome any constructive amendments from Members which would improve the text of the Bill. I ask, however, that Deputies, before bringing forward proposals, would reflect on their implications and the extent to which they might genuinely improve the legislation to the benefit of the wider community and having regard to the rights of both debtors and creditors, as opposed to simply proposing amendments that have no basis in reality and are designed to do nothing other than make some crass political point. Any proposal must contribute to the workability of the Bill and have regard to the essential fairness required in order to ensure a balance of rights. There is little point in bringing forward proposals that may seem on the face of it to be overly debtor friendly if they have little practical chance of success and could operate very unfairly in respect of individuals who are creditors and whose own financial circumstances are placed in difficulty by the failure of others to pay moneys due to them.

I thank all Deputies who contributed to this important debate. They can be assured that the work does not stop here but will continue during the summer recess in preparation for Committee Stage. The objective is to have the legislation enacted before the end of the year, in sufficient time to ensure it is available to those who need it. In the intervening period, I hope those financial institutions which have not properly engaged with customers in genuine financial difficulty, instead of waiting for the Bill to be enacted, will now engage in a far more constructive manner than they have done to date.

Question put and agreed to.

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