Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I second Senator Ó Domhnaill's amendment to the Order of Business. I again call for a debate on mortgage arrears. Reports in today's newspapers state that the banks have been given the go ahead by the Central Bank to offer split mortgages to people in distress. To take the good out of it, it seems an additional interest rate will be applied to the warehoused part of the mortgage. It is almost a year since the Family Home Bill 2011 came before the House. Other Bills have come before the other House, and all of these were suppressed by the Government. What we need is a Government-led solution. A bank-led solution will always look after the bottom line first. We need something that puts the people of Ireland front and centre and this is not happening as we have seen in the reports in today's newspapers on the split mortgage idea. I call for a debate on this. We also need action. There has been much commentary on the Order of Business and in other debates in the past year. I would like to see some tangible results with a Government-led initiative rather than one led by the banks. When this debate takes place it is my ardent wish that the Government Members will be permitted to participate in it.