Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

If there was more engagement by the lenders at the very beginning of the process, it is quite likely that fewer borrowers would end up in the same level of difficulty. That is one of the problems. This legislation is only a very small part of the total picture but it is a substantial financial commitment. Following our discussion this morning, I ask what would €50 million do for after-school care but instead this amount is going to the bankers. In the scheme of things and considering what the banks have cost the country, an annual commitment of €50 million is probably relatively small. In the scheme of what has been identified as important expenditure, we must see if a structure can be created where the mortgage arrears process is enforced and the lenders must engage before they are in receipt of support from the Department. The community welfare officers have joined the Department since last October. When they joined the Department, I requested the information which I have been giving to the House. I will ask my officials to provide Senators with the details of the numbers involved in the different counties who are in receipt. The county with the biggest number is Dublin, with more than 3,000. I note that County Meath has approximately 1,300; County Carlow has 345; County Cavan has 427; County Wicklow has 520; and County Offaly has 282. It is very widely spread throughout the country. This system was designed for a different period. We need to keep the system but we also need to require more of the lenders. I appreciate the concerns of Senators on both sides of the House that this could adversely affect the borrowers but, to be honest, we must also try to leverage the financial influence we have in our payment of the mortgage interest supplement to influence the behaviour of the lenders so that they will comply with the possibilities offered by the mortgage arrears resolution process.