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

That was a disgraceful decision and a huge mistake. We are now seeing the consequences of that mistake. The Government made it easier for banks to repossess family homes than in 2013. A combination of these factors explains why the banks now behave in an ever more aggressive manner with struggling homeowners, as the Tánaiste has acknowledged. It also explains why the number of repossession cases lodged with the courts has increased tenfold since 2013.

The Government's response to the mortgage crisis has obviously and patently failed. The Tánaiste acknowledged this morning that there are some difficulties. What she has not told us in concrete terms is what she proposes to do. Does she propose to remove the banks' veto? Does she propose to return to the 2012 legislation and correct the huge error that has affected very many distressed families, who I am sure have been in touch with the Tánaiste just as they have made contact with me? They are paying the price for the Government's mistake.

Does the Tánaiste accept that the approach to date has failed? Will she remove the banks' veto? Will we return to the 2012 legislation? Let us return to it, remove the veto and give people a fighting chance of holding on to their homes.

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