Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Leader for taking on board the views of the leaders of the groups on the debate on the fiscal compact. I hope Members will take up the opportunity to attend the briefing meeting to be provided by the Oireachtas Library and Research Service in the week before the debate.

I ask the Leader to consider extending the five minutes afforded to Senators on certain debates, if fewer Senators are offering and those who are contributing would like to speak for longer. I agree with the Leader on the functioning of the Seanad and that time is important, but perhaps we should consider the numbers offering to determine the allocation of time. We can perform a very important function in regard to the fiscal compact.

I commend the Government on the recent visit of Vice President Xi Jinping from China. His visit was a success and it will help us to build our relationships with the People's Republic of China. To give credit where it is due, the Government performed very well over those few days, particularly in regard to agriculture. We had a good debate on food and horticulture in this House last week with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, and we must look at ways to expand our newer markets. China will be very important. I am pleased the Government, in its own way, confirmed that it did raise issues in regard to human rights. I am taking the Ministers at their word and I have no reason not to do so.

On 28 September 2011, the Keane report was published. The Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brian Hayes, who took the debate in the Chamber promised to publish a full mortgage arrears implementation strategy in advance of the budget of 6 December, but that did not happen. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, said it would be done before Christmas, but that deadline has not been met. The Government's response so far is to publish the personal insolvency Bill which will help in some instances. The fundamental flaw in that Bill is that it leaves the power and the decision making with the banks. It does not go as far as we want it to go, where we propose to set up a debt settlement office. What the Government is proposing will leave the final decision with the banks who lent the money.

All Senators will be concerned to note that more than 107,000 mortgages are in difficulty. The figures are worse given that more than 7% of residential mortgages are in difficulty. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Brian Hayes, to attend the House next week to update members on how the Government intends to deal with the mortgage arrears crisis. The last figures introduced by the Central Bank show that one in ten mortgages is in difficulty whereas now it is one in seven. We cannot wait for the publication and passage of the personal insolvency Bill which has been promised for the autumn. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister of State, who engages well with the House, to attend the House because the mortgage arrears crisis is getting worse and the personal insolvency Bill will not deal with the fundamental issues. The Government is missing a step and I ask what it intends to do for those in mortgage arrears.