Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

If the Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government is so committed to helping those in difficulty with their mortgages, why did it refuse the Fine Gael amendment to the NAMA legislation to provide for a home owners' support scheme to protect them? Government Members voted against it in this House and in the Dáil. It is somewhat similar to their position on the banking inquiry. Over the weekend Senator Boyle was quoted as saying he wanted a public inquiry on the financial situation in which the country found itself but Green Party Ministers voted in favour of a private inquiry when they were around the Cabinet table. There seems to be one word in public and in the media and something quite different at Cabinet, and this increases the cynicism among the public about politics. When will proposals be brought to this House and to the Dáil to protect and help home owners? Many people are struggling hugely with their bills, especially their mortgages, at present.