David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We will see about that.

There is an argument against having Sky Sports, but it is a moral rather than a financial one. As Sky Sports is owned by Rupert Murdoch, how could anyone have it in the house?

I was not in the House to hear the discussion, as I was attending the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade. Therefore, if the point I want to make has been raised, I apologise.

When I was listening to the radio the other day, I heard a man who had a mortgage of €110,000 speak. He had negotiated with the bank which to give him time had agreed to an interest-only arrangement for six months. However, it had not told him that he would be charged a penalty of €11,000. That is appalling and fraud. The banks are still swindling the people and it must stop. I ask the Minister of State to force the banks to stop it, as they are crucifying people, which is outrageous. How many mortgages were sold on to hedge funds, these other capitalist cannibals? These are appalling instances.

The code gives very limited protection and the proposed changes will make it even more difficult for mortgage holders to be considered as co-operating. Who is in charge of all this stuff? Who will act as judge and jury? “'I'll be judge, I'll be jury,' said cunning old Fury: 'I'll try the whole cause, and condemn you to death.'” It will be the bloody banks once more; they are in charge of this whole process. Therefore, it is neither equal nor fair, nor independent.

I refer to the business of the banks having the restrictions on making unsolicited telephone calls lifted from them. When one is in financial distress, this is one of the worst things to happen for one's mental health. I have spoken about this issue for many years. As they are driving people to take their own lives, this practice should be stamped out at once. Making unsolicited telephone calls should be made a criminal offence. I should not need to say this to the Government because, tragically, in my lifetime a Minister, under pressure, took his own life. I am not saying it was the same pressure, but it just shows what pressure can do to people in the most responsible of positions. What about the vulnerable or half-educated person? I find it shocking.

People should not have to give up their tracker mortgages as part of the deal. There should be an independent body and an independent appeals body because the definition of what is fair and reasonable should not be left to the banks. What the hell do they know? They traded recklessly for years. They traded disgracefully and most certainly were not fair and reasonable. Things are still coming to light about the way they dishonestly and fraudulently took money out of people's bank accounts in terms of foreign exchange transactions and God knows what else. Is the Minister of State satisfied that they should have in their control the definition of what is fair and reasonable?

There is far too much control vested in the banks. The wonderful people involved in the anti-eviction group stood in solidarity with the cancer victim of a certain age who had been living in her house for 60 years in an area in the north inner city that the Minister of State knows, near the place of which we both have such happy memories. The sheriff was called to put her out. However, her neighbours and those involved in the anti-eviction group stood in solidarity with her. I was ashamed to be Irish on that day.

There should be an independent group comprising people from the voluntary sector - people who have done wonderful work - MABS and FLAC, insolvency practitioners and mortgage holders. These individuals should be involved because they are the ones who know what the problems are, who know it is not just a horrible thing on a bank balance sheet.

I spoke this morning about the financial situation. I said the people were the victims of an international financial swindle. I ask the Minister of State if he would be kind enough to pass on my remarks because he, even more than me, is a good friend of President Higgins. Thank God for him. What he said to the European Parliament today about human morals was brilliant and marvellous. I heard the synopsis. He spoke about human values, not swindling techniques and the idea that imposing rigid financial tiers on a subservient people-----