Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Labour Party for tabling this motion. People in mortgage distress are in great fear of losing their homes. Many are genuine people who have done all they can to come to some arrangement with their banks but to no avail. Efforts to throw these people out of their homes must stop. The previous Government stood idly by. Will this Minister do the same?

The laws must change. All those who make a genuine effort to pay their mortgage must be afforded the opportunity to do so. Selling their mortgages to vulture funds, in most cases behind their backs, must stop now. If the Government does not have the strength to stop it, it will find itself facing the same political crisis as its predecessor. The banks seem to be rejigging the payments of people who have three and six-month moratoriums by increasing their payments when the moratorium ends. This is terribly unfair to people who are under immense pressure in these times.

Last night, I spoke about the housing crisis and the need for a rural resettlement programme similar to the one introduced in County Clare some years ago. Such a programme was mentioned in the previous programme for Government but was not introduced. A rural resettlement programme must be introduced. It would take families out of hotels and help people who are losing their homes and those in direct provision. There are suitable developments up and down the country, which would provide safe, comfortable living for people in direct provision. These developments must be looked at immediately. The Minister has an opportunity to turn this around. While some of the measures I have highlighted might not resolve the issue, combined with other housing measures, they would greatly help in delivering homes for those who genuinely want them.

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