Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

We should have that debate as a matter of urgency. As a member of the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, it is clear there is a tsunami of repossessions coming and people in mortgage arrears are not being properly represented. There is no level playing field when it comes to the relationship between somebody in mortgage arrears and their bank. That is an issue the Government will have to address. I want that debate as a matter of urgency. I also call for the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, to come to the House to address the State scheme which supposedly gives advice to people in mortgage arrears. It is a joke, to say the least, that people get advice when they have actually been made an offer and they have no choice but either to accept or reject it. That is not genuine advice. It does nothing to help people in mortgage distress and is a total waste of money. I am seeking two debates, one on the Insolvency Service of Ireland and the second on the facilities being made available to people in mortgage distress.