Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

My three questions relate to threats to the family home. We have learned that of the €90 billion of toxic debt, €30 billion relates to property bought abroad, including, for example, apartments. Is the Leader aware that in many cases the family home has been used as collateral for such apartments abroad? Has the Minister for Finance considered how this will now put the family home at risk? If he is to follow the family home for the bad debt abroad he may not be able to touch it.

Given all the new levies and taxes, the ability of the home owner to repay existing mortgages is considerably reduced. How will the Minister intervene to help these couples with the banks? What are his plans in this regard? As a result of all the levies, we must pay the State to bail out the banks. How will the Minister balance affairs such that there is leniency for the troubled home owners? One such measure of leniency, which I have frequently flagged in the House, is to encourage banks to allow couples to renegotiate fixed mortgages.

Will the Leader clarify whether the seven-year period for mortgage relief will still stand for the re-mortgaged component of an older mortgage taken out in the past seven years? This question has come to my attention several times overnight.