Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to make it perfectly clear that the Government wants there to be a fair and transparent process for dealing with mortgages. What we want to do is get the people whose mortgages are either in arrears or distress to the point where they can enjoy the psychological relief to the effect that their homes will not be taken from them and where they can contribute to their local economies and live their lives. That is the reason the Minister for Finance and the Government, working with the Central Bank, are putting in place all of the arrangements that will be announced later today. Under these arrangements, targets and timelines will be set by the banks which now have staff who are trained to deal with the circumstances under discussion which are unique in each case. The repossession of family homes will be the very last resort. No Member of the House wants to see homes being repossessed. However, even the Deputy's party recognises that repossession will occur in a small number of cases.

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