Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise three items today so I beg the Cathaoirleach's indulgence.

I wish to express my genuine disappointment at the collapse of the power-sharing talks in the North yesterday. I concur with the statements my party leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, made when he expressed his bitter disappointment at the lack of an agreement to restore devolved government. As he said, politics is about governing and the people of the North now continue to face into another prolonged period without representation. This is, of course, amid one of the most uncertain economic and political times, with Brexit on the horizon. Mrs. Foster's call on the UK Government to set a budget and start making policy decisions on schools, hospitals and infrastructure is regretful. All the hard work and achievements of the Good Friday Agreement seem now to be forgotten. The DUP is clearly looking for direct rule and it is such a shame we are now in this position. The Irish and UK Governments have failed to nurture and nourish the relationships between all parties in the North in recent years, and this has led to the breakdown and the disappointment we all feel today. I note the surprise of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney. I ask that he be invited to this House to explain what he knew and to outline his view of this impasse.

The second item I wish to raise is Permanent TSB's sale of its loan book. We learned yesterday that Permanent TSB has decided to sell a loan book of non-performing loans worth €4 billion. The amount represents 28% of the total Permanent TSB loan book. We understand that the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, was aware of the forthcoming transaction and knew it would possibly cause great upset and a political storm. I ask the Minister to come to the House and explain what he knows about the transaction and when he first knew it and what he will do to safeguard the interests of vulnerable homeowners who may soon be at the mercy of global private equity funds and distressed debt investors. Many people are now at home, sick and worried that their loans will be sold off and they have not been given any assurances by the Government to date.

Finally, I wish to raise the issue of the State Ombudsman's report on the Magdalen restorative justice scheme and the scathing remarks of the Ombudsman, Mr. Tyndall, about the administration of the scheme. I raised in the House in November, when his report was originally published, the criticism of the way in which the scheme was being administered, in particular how many vulnerable women have been left out of the scheme. Approximately 100 women have been wrongly left out of the scheme. The scheme had a budget of €58 million. To date, only €25.7 million has been paid out. To include an extra 100 women would cost in the region of €3 million to €5 million, which is a fraction of the initial budget. Of particular concern and worry to me are those who were excluded from the scheme on the basis that they lacked capacity and therefore a mechanism to receive a lump sum. The Ombudsman immediately recommended that the State work with the Courts Service to appoint wards of court for these women in order that they may be included in the scheme without delay. It is extraordinarily important that in 2013, 40 such women were alive, but five years later only 17 of these women are still alive. This is a damning indictment of our treatment of women, especially vulnerable women, in Ireland. The Minister must not delay any further. Time is crucial, and these women must be cared for. I call on the Minister for Justice and Equality to implement immediately all the recommendations in Mr. Tyndall's report.