Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

Last week I raised an important issue, namely, a worrying situation with regard to the position in which many tenants are finding themselves, where the properties they are renting are being repossessed by the banks from their landlords. I ask the Leader to arrange an early debate on the housing issue, specifically this issue.

In the case I raised, after court proceedings, a repossession order and an ejection order, the tenants were the last to find out. Arising from the attention I brought to the matter and having contacted Brendan Smith and James Barry at the Sheriff's Office and Gartlan Furey, the legal representatives of the Ulster Bank, the bank has now decided to enter into arrangements with the tenants to provide a tenancy agreement for them. This is one way this House can be extremely influential. If I did not have parliamentary privilege and did not have this forum in which to raise this issue last week, these people would have been evicted from their house and their possessions thrown on the street.

As a former Member of the Dáil and a former Minister of State, I find this House a very good forum for debate and for raising important issues on behalf of our 4.2 million people. I make no apologies to the media or otherwise on the usefulness of this forum. It is elected by a distinctive electorate who put us here to do a particular task and is clearly and unambiguously included in the Constitution. Arising from my use of parliamentary privilege last week, it is no longer proposed to evict the young couple I mentioned from their tenancy in Dublin. I say to anyone who has a problem that it is worth raising it in this forum. Every Member of this House can and will raise issues pertaining to our electorate and to the people in general. I am delighted I received a positive response to my representations in this case. The Cathaoirleach allowed me to raise the matter last week and the Leader agreed to allow a debate on it in due course.