Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

Yesterday, the Economic and Social Research Institute said that 35,000 families face the prospect of not being able to pay their mortgages. We are talking about people's homes. Like Senator MacSharry, I have raised this issue on previous occasions. What is the Government doing? While Nero fiddles here, Rome burns outside. If people lose their homes, the country will fall apart. Of the 35,000 at risk, more than half will be in negative equity if prices continue to fall. This makes a mockery of the proposals in respect of property tax and NAMA, through which we will bail out banks which could be foreclosing on homes. The House must get serious. I, therefore, welcome the prospect of a debate on this issue. For some time I have been working on a proposal to assist people to keep their homes.

Before the weekend, will the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, reconsider his ludicrous proposal of an 80% NAMA tax on lands that have been compulsorily purchased for road projects? Farmers never wanted to give up those lands, yet family farms have been split. How ludicrous and unjust is this? The N6, N17, N18 and outer city bypass projects will decimate Galway's farmers who were given no choice but to have their lands compulsorily purchased for the greater good.

I asked the Leader a question yesterday, but he should excuse me, as I did not hear his answer. Will he ask the Minister for Finance to justify the excessive salaries paid to CEOs in the public service? Packages worth €400,000 to €700,000 are awarded in the ESB, the HSE, Bord Gáis and RTE. Public broadcasters are being paid up to €800,000 a year. Let us get real and take it from the top.