Eamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy Joan Collins for the comments she made on the motion last night. In fairness, in her introduction she reflected the experience perhaps not of all Deputies but certainly most of us who have dealt with families, in particular, who fell into a difficult financial position because of the collapse of banks and economies as a whole. Many of the points she made in introducing the motion were very solid and good in spirit. As Deputy Costello has mentioned, the principle is important regardless of which side of the House a Deputy sits. If something of merit is said, it should be recognised.

The fact that family homes could be at risk is a sensitive subject. It is one of the by-products of the collapse of the economy and it can lead to great anguish for families. It can even destroy some families, as I have dealt with cases where marriages fell apart because of financial strain. I know of cases where both parents lost jobs within a year, even when the jobs were very good and the mortgages were large. Most people would admit if they had borrowed way beyond their means but having said that, such people would have done so with the assistance of the local bank, which could not give out money quickly enough. Unfortunately, some people found themselves in an awful position as a result.

Different banks exercised different ways of dealing with clients and unsustainable mortgages. Until the collapse, banks had a free run in this country and were treated with too much respect by ordinary people. The population does not look up to banks or their managers now, although I am sure there are some good bank managers. I could not list any now.

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