Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The issue of mortgages, mortgage arrears and the difficulties people have in meeting their mortgage commitments is very much a top priority for the Government. That is why, as the Deputy will know, we brought forward the personal insolvency legislation, Report Stage of which is due to be taken in the House shortly.

It is why we have put in place a range of measures to support people in mortgage difficulty and to ensure people do not lose their homes in this financial crisis.

This Government, unlike its predecessor, has had regular engagement with the banks about a range of issues, including their obligation to lend to business, what they are doing about new mortgages and what they are doing to deal with the problem of mortgage arrears. We inherited the banking crisis and the decisions made by the previous Government and this is why we have worked to seek agreement at EU level on the separation of bank debt from sovereign debt and why we are insisting that that agreement be implemented in full and that the huge burden placed on the back of taxpayers as a result of the banking collapse is lifted.

With regard to commercial decisions made by AIB, the Deputy would be the first to criticise the Government if it sought to engage in hands on decision-making in the banks but, as far as mortgage holders are concerned, the Government is firmly on the side of people who are having difficulty meeting their mortgage payments and that is why we have taken the steps we have taken and will continue to do so.

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