Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I mean mortgage interest supplement. It was specifically mentioned in the four-year plan because it put it in there.

I have followed this issue over the years. I have worked with people who are working with people in mortgage difficulties. A large number of them are in difficulties simply because at a time when the banks are getting money at historically low interest rates - they are being given it virtually for free - they are absolutely screwing their own customers who have no consumer choice in the market. If it related to ordinary commercial products, a range of agencies would be in here railing about there being a cartel. However, people are just sitting on their hands and doing nothing. Meanwhile people are going to bed every night not knowing how they will manage financially tomorrow. It is time the Government acted given that it has been four years in office and is in the countdown to the end of its term. During that period it has allowed the banks put the hand in the pockets of those on variable rate mortgages to dig the banks out of a hole they caused by selling products that turned out not to be profitable.

See this speech in context