Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister of State said, the solution I am looking for is for people who are 50 and over because everything else in insolvency law helps younger people. I know many people in my area and other areas in the country who are in their 50s and the last thing they want is to lose their homes. It is very important that legislation looks after all citizens, no matter their age. The thing that really annoys me is that the bank says the solution I am looking for is complicated. How do you tell a family who is losing their home that it is complicated? How do you tell the homeless in the streets it is complicated? I feel that my solution is a very simple one. It gives the courts the authority to go ahead and do what they think is best.

I will be honest with the Minister of State. I am delighted he said the Department will engage with me. I am overwhelmed by the support I am getting from the Opposition. I was not going to press the amendment but I think I would be doing an injustice to the people I represent in my constituency, the people who work very hard during these crises, were I not to do so.

6 o’clock

I know those people should not have gone to the bank and got so much money. However, these banks lend these people substantial amounts of money and I do not know how they ever thought people were going to pay it back.

I will be pressing the amendment.

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