Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

It has taken the Leader only six months to tell the House the arrangements he has made for a discussion on mortgages. I was going to raise this issue again. While I might be boring, I am at least consistent, because what we have seen in the most recent mortgage figures is that close to 10% of all residential mortgages on principal private residences are in arrears for more than 90 days. I am glad the Minister of State is coming to the House and I hope he tells us clearly what the Government will do and not what it is planning to do. I hope he will not just set up another committee, because I believe both the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach have a committee which has been working urgently on the mortgage arrears crisis since the publication of the Keane report last September. I do not think that degree of urgency is acceptable to the vast majority of people. That follows very clearly from the report of the Irish League of Credit Unions published yesterday which makes stark reading for everybody in this House. Everybody should be concerned that nearly 60% of people have less than €100 per month of disposable income after they have paid all their bills.

We have seen a very substantial decrease in the value of our exports. I am not blaming the Government specifically for that but the economic policies that have been followed by Government and by the European Union are having a negative effect on any chance we have to grow ourselves out of this recession. In my view, it is not working and we need to have a proper debate on this issue on another day. It is of great concern when one in ten people, probably more like one in seven, struggle to pay their mortgages. I would welcome the Minister of State's return because he did say the Government would publish a report before the budget last December but that has not happened.

I propose an amendment to today's Order of Business. Over the past two to three days we have seen the sequel to the horror show that was the household charge, "The Nightmare in the Custom House." We have seen the nightmare in the Custom House II, starring the Minister, on the proposed water charges. Who is going to pay? When are they going to pay? How are they going to pay? Who will install the water meters? Is the National Pensions Reserve Fund going to pay for it? Are we going to have to pay for it over 20 years? How much will it cost? How much free water supply are people going to get? The Government gave mixed messages on the matter.

It concerns me that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, said a number of weeks ago that he was concerned about referenda and that the referendums would not be about the things that they should be, the fiscal compact and the 30th amendment to the Constitution which I have clearly stated here that my party and I will support. I am particularly worried that the ongoing confusion emanating from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, and other Departments. I am worried by the fact that the Minister, Deputy Hogan, went on the national airwaves and said that the vast majority of people had paid the household charge, 56% is not a vast majority. I am also worried by the fact that we cannot even be clear on how water charges will be paid, how they will be metered and who will do what. The whole matter is an unmitigated disaster.

I am very worried and concerned that these are the issues that people will vote on when they vote on 31 May. I understand that the Minister is somewhere in Denmark today. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd has been on the radio and every show over the past 48 hours and I expect him to come to the House. I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minister of State with responsibility for NewERA and the junior Minister at the Department, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, comes here today and explains to us, as Members and to the people, the exact Government position on water metering and water charges, who will pay, how much they will have to pay and when the charges will be introduced and be effective from. Time should be set aside today for the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, to come here and try to clear up all of the confusion that has emanated from the Custom House.