Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the 26 Members who contributed on the Order of Business. I join Senators Grace O'Sullivan, Catherine Ardagh, Ivana Bacik and David Norris in welcoming Ibrahim Halawa home. I pay tribute to all those who campaigned, whether they were Members of the House, NGOs, Members of the European Parliament, the previous Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and the current Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, as well as Ibrahim's family and friends for their unwavering support for him in the quest to bring him home. We all recognise that the time from the release date to today was inordinately long, but we welcome him home and hope he can be afforded the privacy to spend time with his family, acclimatise to being back in Ireland and get his life back together. The issue was placed into context this morning when it was outlined that some of his colleagues were in college, while others had graduated and that he had to restart his life. I wish him well and hope he will be given the time to do that. I commend everybody who has been involved in the effort to have him released and returned to his family. I hope and wish he can live a normal, happy and contented life. I certainly hope he will be afforded the opportunity to do so.

Senators Catherine Ardagh, Ivana Bacik, Martin Conway, Ray Butler, Gerry Horkan, and Kieran O'Donnell raised the issue of tracker mortgages. It is one about which we can all speak with one voice. Senator Kieran O'Donnell perhaps hit the nail on the head; we cannot allow the banks to go native again. They cannot be allowed to go back to their old ways. They have a duty to work with people. We all know people who have been affected. That is why the Government lost patience. I commend Senators Gerry Horkan and Kieran O'Donnell and other members of the finance committee for their work. Many of them raised the issue and it is now critical that people be recompensed and can get their lives back. In that context, last week I referred to the importance of mental health and quality of life issues, in addition to the loss of money, a family home or an investment property. The banks must be held to account. Senator David Norris is correct that we need to see people being held to account and I hope we will see that happen. The Government had lost patience and called in the banks. It is acting and the banks will now be held to account.

I remind Senator Catherine Ardagh that it is her party leader who was the Minister for spin. In the four years he was Minister for Health and Children he spent €30 million on 115 reports.