Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I was delighted to see that the Irish Banking Federation, IBF, is responding to the needs of home owners at risk. Like other Members, I have sought this for some time and met Pat Farrell last August to try to address the issue of the threat of home repossession. Senator Harris has just made an interesting point about structural issues. We have one such serious issue in Ireland in that the top has let the bottom down at many levels. I sense that the people are getting increasingly angry by the day. I feel their fear. Unless the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance intervene, I fear we will see social unrest at budget time.

I refer to some issues that have given rise to this unrest. On the issue of FÁS, for example, we now have almost conclusive proof that there was no legislative basis to pay Rody Molloy the €1.1 million.