Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, over 100 repossession cases were scheduled for the Circuit Court in Castlebar. Throughout the country there has been an increasing number of such cases in different courts. Given that Castlebar is the Taoiseach's own home town, will he accept at long last that the number of repossession cases is out of hand? It is indicative that the Government's response to the mortgage crisis is not working. The legislation that Deputy Michael McGrath brought forward last week should have been accepted by the Government.

The Taoiseach has repeatedly said that people should only lose their homes as a very last resort. That is not happening, however, because banks continue to have a veto on mortgage resolutions. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, promised to change the legislation. He said that legislation underpinning the personal insolvency schemes would be tweaked and changed. In addition, the Tánaiste has said she supports Deputy Penrose's legislation on reducing bankruptcy from three years to one year.

Two proposals for legislative change have been put forward by Ministers, so can the Taoiseach indicate when the Government will amend the personal insolvency legislation? Can he also indicate when the timeframe concerning the bankruptcy period will change?

As the Taoiseach is aware, the Government subsumed the Consumer Agency into the Competition Authority. Consumers need protection but I hope it will not be diluted in the agency. There are vast differences in the cost of premiums quoted by insurance companies. Can the Taoiseach inform the House when the insurance Bill will be published? Will it contain sections to protect consumers from companies charging exorbitant rates on prices for basic insurance cover?

Last night RTE had a special programme on loyalist and IRA so-called punishment beatings of individuals. It was vicious and brutal according to the testimonies given by family members and individuals. The scale of it would have taken a lot of people by surprise. Not only did the programme represent vicious beatings, but it was also about controlling communities and society. At the end of the programme it was stated that the whole phenomenon has not ended.

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