Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

Senator Norris would be correct if it were done through the Enforcement of Court Orders Act but it can be done through any legislation and as it is financially connected I propose we speak with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, on the issue.

While the anecdotes in the media about people losing their homes make me sad - they are tragic - I am not disappointed that finally it is getting to the top of the agenda. Many of us in this House, including Senators Healy Eames, Butler and Norris, identified it and we all have the aspiration to provide for this in an adequate way. We do not state that the Government should pay people's mortgages or anything like that. We simply state that we should make adequate provision for breathing space for people. The Irish Bankers Federation, IBF, and MABS introduced welcome measures in their protocol but the type of institutions mentioned in the stories in today's media, namely Stepstone Mortgages and Start Mortgages, are not covered and there is no obligation on them to follow due process as outlined in the IBF and MABS protocol. I fundamentally believe we require immediate legislation in this area and I call on the Leader to raise it with all Ministers in the Cabinet, starting with the Minister for Finance.