Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Research published by the British Medical Journal has confirmed that this state has seen one of the highest increases in deaths by suicide directly related to the recession. The enormous pressure exerted by household and mortgage debt has literally become unbearable for many families, as was highlighted tragically by the death of former Priory Hall resident Mr. Fiachra Daly. The Tánaiste personally promised to make the mortgage crisis a priority, yet the Government is willing to allow the banks to set the agenda and the number of families in mortgage distress has doubled on his watch. The response of the banks has been to issue 15,000 repossession letters to struggling families. We recently heard on the airwaves worrying statements by a number of personal insolvency practitioners. I have three questions for the Tánaiste. Will the Government force the banks to wipe out the outstanding mortgages and allow the former residents of Priory Hall to hand back their keys? Will it give these families a fresh start?

On the broader issue of mortgages, can the Tánaiste guarantee no family will be denied access to a personal insolvency practitioner because of an inability to pay upfront fees of the order of €5,000 or €7,000? Will he guarantee that no family will be excluded from the insolvency process because of a refusal by the banks to engage with the insolvency practitioners because the family simply holds one mortgage?

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