Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. She must be very much aware of the situation in which people find themselves in shared ownership. I wish to raise the matter concerning the Housing Act 2009. Without going into detail, in our area a particular person had a shared ownership crisis. She discussed it with the local council which agreed to take back the house and said that she would pay off the outstanding loan over 50 years at €200 per instalment. It would then put her on a voluntary housing list, although some people cannot get onto the list because they voluntarily gave up their home.

I was surprised that the Minister of State mentioned the mortgage interest supplement because people are not aware of it. We can take up that matter. The only way this can be dealt with is if the pressure is taken off local authorities in paying back the loan taken out by the Housing Finance Agency. Councils have to pay that money back and there are no insolvency arrangements. It must be taken in that context and there have to be opportunities for people to park their mortgages as part of an insolvency arrangement. I would like to hear the Minister of State's comments on that matter.

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