Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I join colleagues in expressing my frustration at the comments yesterday by the chief executive officer of Ulster Bank. They seemed to imply that responsibility for the high level of mortgage arrears should be laid at the door of the media, on the one hand, for their comments on debt forgiveness and, on the other, the mortgage arrears resolution process, MARP, and the Dunne judgment. There is a very worrying change of tone emerging from the banking sector which is seeking to assign the blame for the high level of mortgage arrears to others and, moreover, to intensify the debate around the cannot pay versus will not pay debacle.

I reiterate the call I have made on several occasions for two separate debates in this House. The first should focus specifically on the new code of conduct on mortgage arrears. I am particularly concerned at the emerging information on what is to be considered a sustainable or affordable debt and at the level of power the banks now have under the new MARP system to determine the fate of borrowers. The second debate should be a more general discussion on the banking system. It was not possible or feasible to accommodate either of these debates in the context of our consideration of the Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Bill 2011. I ask the Leader to allocate time for two stand-alone debates as a matter of urgency.

The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013 passed Second Stage in the Dáil yesterday. Many Members welcomed the announcement of the co-location plans for Holles Street and St. Vincent's hospitals during a debate in this House some weeks ago. Anybody who attended the hearings of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children on the Bill would have been struck by the successive comments by representatives of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and individual specialists on the inadequacy of maternity services. Will the Leader accommodate a debate on this specific issue? If we are truly to protect the lives of women and children, we must prioritise the provision of maternity services.