Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill, which provides some relief to those who are currently trapped in a crisis mortgage. I commend my colleague, Deputy Michael McGrath, on his relentless focus on this issue and on bringing forward this significant measure which will help struggling families.

The housing crisis rightly dominates this Dáil and has dominated my work as a Deputy. We must remember that thousands of families in County Wicklow are experiencing a housing crisis as they struggle, day in and day out, to keep a roof over their heads. The modern social contract between the citizen and State is broken. For too many Wicklow residents, the contract that ensured people could work towards owning a family home has turned into a nightmare with no end. People whose mortgage repayments are in crisis are also suffering greatly as a result of the complete failure of the Government's housing policy.

I regularly meet people who are literally trapped in their homes and unable to afford anything in life other than attempting to meet their mortgage repayments. In many cases, food is provided by organisations such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul because nearly all family income is tied up in paying the mortgage. These families deserve to know the State is on their side and a one-stop-shop will be established to work with them and their lender to put in place a restructured package that allows them to work to retain their homes.

The Bill recognises that the current personal insolvency arrangements are not working. In the first quarter of this year, 43% of applications for such an arrangement were unsuccessful because the lender did not consent to them. The appeals process is placing additional stress on these families because the legal process can take up to a year to complete. While the lender will have substantial legal support, families are left dangling as they face the nightmare of not knowing whether they will be able to keep their homes.

An independent mortgage resolution office would mean people in such circumstances could have confidence that the office would make the final decision on mortgage restructuring. The office will be tasked with providing a wide range of options to make the mortgage work for the family and lender. I hope there will be widespread support for this practical proposal to help these families who are also a part of our housing crisis.

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