Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Members who supported the legislation at the time or who accepted the then Minister's word that there was no bank veto must feel very badly let down. This House should now do something about that. We should pass a motion at some point on the misleading information that was given to us. We should warn Ministers that when they come to this House to sell legislation to us that they must be honest and truthful, because clearly at the time this legislation was being passed the then Minister, Deputy Shatter, was not truthful in this House nor were the Taoiseach, who stated in the Dail that there was no bank veto, and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, who stated the same on a different occasion. The people have been misled in recent years.

I am pleased though that the Fianna Fáil analysis of the problem and our fairer and better way of dealing with mortgage arrears has finally reached the ears of the Government. We need a proper debate on what the Government is proposing and before that we need to know exactly what is proposed. I do not know whether you have a role in the matter, a Chathaoirligh. I wish to know what the House can do about that misleading statement by the then Minister, Deputy Shatter.