Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

There has been a great deal of talk about family homes in the residential sector. One in four families in this country lives in a rented property. In the Dublin area, the figure is one in three. Some 40% of people in Galway live in rented properties. They are families too and deserve to be recognised as such. We have not yet had a process in this area. We have had a process for people in residential mortgage distress, but we have not recognised the importance of assisting families that live in buy-to-let properties. The ill-thought-out comments that have been made in this regard have suggested it is appropriate to let rip in the buy-to-let mortgage sector. We need to recognise those family homes and consider carefully how the lives of those families are to be taken into account.

I wish to speak briefly about social housing. I am conscious of the level of arrears in local authorities. They have been able to put a mortgage arrears resolution process in place, but they do not have the resources to offer the options that banks and financial institutions have been able to offer. They need to be capitalised to the point at which they will be able to offer such solutions.

I would like to refer to the review of the code of conduct on mortgage arrears. I have sincere difficulty with the case-by-case approach that is being taken.