Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Government is being played by the banks again. We saw the Keane report in front of the finance committee for a long time and the Government has been in place for over two years, yet the relevant figure is that 20 of these transfers have been completed. We know that nearly one in five residential mortgages is either in arrears or has been restructured, mainly to an interest only arrangement. The banks are telling the Government that they are engaged in this process, but they are not. If the Minister of State talks to the people who are trying to negotiate with the banks on a daily basis to reach these deals, they will tell her that the banks are not engaged in this process, although perhaps one or two of them are.

Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly: The Government, in my opinion, is being played by the banks here again. We saw the Keane report in front of the finance committee a long time ago and this Government has been in place for over two years now and, yet, the relevant figure is that 20 of these have been done. We know that nea5r

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