Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

There are a range of different circumstances depending on the individual circumstances. Some people are now going back to work and payments are starting again. For others who are not going back to work and who are in difficulty, the Government position is clear. Lenders must work with their borrowers and put in place new payment arrangements that are suitable for borrowers who are still experiencing difficulty at the end of a Covid-19 payment break. Lenders are obliged to engage and work with co-operating borrowers to identify an appropriate and sustainable solution having regard to the particular circumstances of a case. It is done on a case-by-case basis but there is an obligation, from the Government's perspective, on all banks to work with customers who are willing to engage to avoid default or other difficult circumstances. For some borrowers, temporary additional supports may be the answer. In this regard, we have to be clear. The European Banking Authority has made clear that banks can continue to support their customers with an extended payment break after 30 September. The authority is making a Europe-wide regulatory change but that does not preclude banks from applying the same break measures that allow customers to get through this period on a specific case-by-case basis. However, it has to be on a case-by-case basis.

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