Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I rise to support Deputy Fitzpatrick's amendment, which is very sensible and, as he said, would not result in an impediment or a cost on the taxpayer. This legislation is welcome. The people of Ireland are paying back and their grandchildren will pay back the banks for the savagely expensive bailout they got. The banks are not being fair. There is not a lot of refuge or solace in the courts either, especially for lay litigants forced into a situation in which they have no recourse to finance to pay for lawyers or barristers. I have been there with some lay litigants and they have not got a lot of solace or support. They are up against the might of the bank. I have no truck with people who could pay but do not want to pay. I am talking about people who are trying to keep the roof over their heads, especially if they are getting elderly. Many of them invested in things, maybe foolishly, but that is how it happened. The banks behaved recklessly and they got bailed out. We need supports for the people, including the vulnerable families, to keep the roof over their heads. Many of them are getting sick, both physically and mentally, with the stress and the pressure. It is so daunting to go down to the river and to the Four Courts - when you could go down. Now it is all done on Zoom. As I said, there is no refuge and not much solace in the courts for these people. We have very little robust legislation at all to put manners on the banks, and they need manners put on them because they are not dealing with any sense of respect or fairness with people. They are arrogant. You are trying to deal with things and trying to help and then when you think you have it over the line, the next thing is that the staff change and the case is handed to somebody else. They are playing on the merry-go-round. I do not know what kind of game they are playing, but it is mind games. It is very stressful and is terrorising some people. I support the amendment. I hope the Minister of State will be able to accept it.

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