Larry Butler (Independent)

I ask the Leader to consider having a debate in September on the interim report of the expert group on mortgage arrears and personal debt, chaired by Mr. Hugh Cooney, which was published during the week. Many issues raised by that report are highly welcome. One issue pertains to the great difficulties being experienced by borrowers who were being penalised with additional penalties. The report now has dealt with that issue and I am glad this is happening. Moreover, the report proposes that each bank be obliged to have a dedicated section dealing with mortgages right across the system. I have undertaken a considerable amount of work on this issue and a report produced by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs contained at least 22 proposals in this regard. I hope some of them will be integrated into the report by the expert group chaired by Mr. Hugh Cooney, because MABS is a highly important organisation that will play a major role in helping people who are in difficulty with their mortgages. It is important that we have a full debate on this when the full report is released in September. We should be able to add or subtract from it as we see fit in this House. It will be important to analyse the report.

Some 35,000 people are in major trouble with mortgages. If we allow this issue to feature beyond September, many more people will be in difficulty. It is important that the Leader expedite the debate on this as soon as we return after the recess.