Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that the strategic review is soon to be completed. I note the amount of work that is being done in the background. It is incredibly disappointing that there is still a refusal at this point to grant certainty to these hardworking people throughout Ireland. I am sure the Minister of State will appreciate that to have this level of uncertainty from the top down is incredibly disruptive for the organisation. It is like a kick in the teeth to the morale of the hardworking, dedicated mortgage advisers who are doing tough, intense and gruelling work. They are invaluable.

If a private company were to leave this massive question mark hanging over the heads of staff until four weeks before Christmas, there would be uproar and, as sure as night follows day, it would be widely condemned in this House. It is simply unacceptable. I urge the Minister of State to raise the matter with both Ministers. As we know very well on this island, uncertainty creates negativity. We know it impacts on planning, investment and business. Uncertainty has an untold impact on those whose primary vocation is to provide support and solutions to people in dire straits. These people should be held in high regard, enough regard to have certainty. Temporary contracts are not good enough. I request that this be challenged and changed.

I will highlight the importance of some of the work the Abhaile scheme does in providing hope to families on the edge who are at risk of losing the home they have worked so hard to own. Usually, contact is only made when these people have gone from complete despair to rock bottom and are in crisis mode. They face the biggest challenge in today's society, namely, the possibility of losing the roof over their heads. As a parent, I can tell the Minister of State what it is like in this situation. We are dealing with a myriad of difficulties and killer intrusive thoughts such as "Have I failed my children?" and "How can I put my kids through this?"

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