Yesterday we learned that three people in five renting in Ireland have given up on ever owning their own home. We learned that half of Dublin tenants are in fear of losing their home. Somehow the Government has managed to preside over a housing crisis, a rental crisis, a homelessness crisis and a mortgage crisis all at the same time.

Ineptitude.

Keep the peace, Mattie.

A total of 330,000 men, women and children today are living in homes, on which repayments are in arrears.

Michael Fingleton.

The number in arrears for more than two years continues to rise and represents those most at risk of being in court and losing their homes.

Mattie will be brought up again.

After years of inaction and just a few weeks before the election, the Cabinet this week agreed to a bankruptcy change that could only be described as a quarter of what is needed, four years too late. Last week, the Social Democrats published a comprehensive policy response to the mortgage crisis. It introduces one year bankruptcy with a maximum of an additional two years income attachment period. It includes a one-stop-shop for borrowers providing free financial and legal expertise and representation.

Hear, hear.

It includes a set of mandated solutions for borrowers should they qualify. It would allow courts refuse possession orders if it can be demonstrated that there is a sustainable solution to the mortgage difficulty.

Hear, hear.

It also includes a realistic way of scaling up the mortgage to rent scheme. David Hall of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation stated that in his opinion, working with borrowers and lenders every day, if the Social Democrats proposals, which are all perfectly sensible and achievable, were implemented, the mortgage crisis would be over for those 330,000 people in 12 to 18 months.

Hear, hear.

That number would fill four Croke Parks.

The Minister, Deputy Alex White, just stated that demonstrating leadership means a suite of policy proposals. I agree. Will he bring the Social Democrats' proposals to Cabinet and help end the mortgage crisis once and for all for 330,000 men, women and children living in fear and stress in this country?

Hear, hear.

I cannot promise to bring the proposals of any party to Cabinet.

Why not?

What I will promise to do, and in the spirit of all of us working together as a Dáil, is that I will certainly look at the proposals. We should all look at each other's proposals in particular in the context of the coming months-----

The Government does not have any.

-----in terms of how we address these issues.

There are only eight working days to fulfil the undertaking.

This is Deputy Donnelly's question.

The Deputy will be aware that the Government has agreed to bring forward legislation on the bankruptcy period.

Will it be enacted and operational before Christmas?

That will be done.

It is on the Dáil record, three times. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste said it.

Please, Deputy Mathews.

I congratulate my colleague, Deputy Penrose, on having brought forward the Bill. It is a genuine piece of legislation that will address the position faced by too many people, as a consequence of the economic crash we had to deal with in this country in recent years. I admit that I have not seen the proposals that are contained in the Deputy's document. I am sorry about that but I will read them, as I am sure he will read the proposals of other parties in the coming months.

There are only eight working days to fulfil the undertaking made on the Dáil record.

As we face into the closing weeks and months of this Dáil, it is necessary to recognise the achievement of the Government-----

The people of Ireland have the Government's undertaking.

Deputy Mathews is not a party leader yet. Could he please not interrupt?

-----and the achievement of what has happened in this country. We had the greatest economic crash we had ever seen, and a banking collapse on a scale that has never been seen anywhere in the world. The resulting consequences of that in terms of the living standards of so many people, in particular their opportunity to buy and own a home, have been enormous. The Government's efforts since it came to office have been to address the adverse consequences for so many people of the worst economic crash we have ever seen in this country. That is what we have been facing. If we have not been quick enough to do it, we can deal with that and address it.

The Government resisted any expediency.

If there are measures we could have taken a year before we took them-----

Four years or five years.

-----or six months before we took them, we can have that debate but nobody can gainsay the fact that this Government-----

The Government resisted.

-----with Deputy Mathews's support for a little while until he went in another direction, brought together-----

The Government went in a different direction and look where we are.

-----not just the economy-----

The Minister should be allowed to reply.

-----but the public finances to ensure that we now have an economy that can look to the future and a society that can benefit from a stable economic environment. That is what we now have for the first time in seven or eight years after the worst economic crash we have ever seen in this country. In so far as the Deputy is advancing his own party proposals on Leaders' Questions-----

The Minister did not understand the Deputy's question.

-----people will have to recognise that the two Government parties, Fine Gael and the Labour Party, have done an enormous amount to turn this country around.

They did nothing.

I call Deputy Stephen Donnelly. He should be allowed to speak without interruption.

That is not true.

You left the ship, Peter.

I welcome the fact the Cabinet has agreed to reduce the bankruptcy period. I tabled such a proposal in 2012 and the Government voted against it. I tabled it subsequent to that also and the Government again voted against it. I recognise and welcome the fact the Government has changed its position and is now reducing the period to one year. However, when we talk about recognising Government achievements, when it comes to the mortgage crisis, the Government's achievement is abject failure. It gives me no pleasure to say that to the Minister. Ireland's level of mortgage arrears is several times higher than other European countries which faced similar economic and housing challenges. Why? The reason is the Government took a hands-off approach and said the banks would pretty much have to solve this themselves on a case-by-case basis. Every Member of this House is helping constituents with mortgage arrears.

Every day.

Every Member of this House knows that the first question one asks a borrower when they come in is whether they have had financial advice. Most of them say they cannot afford financial advice. Then we ask whether they have had legal advice and if they can afford legal representation. They say they cannot afford legal representation and that if they could, they would not be in mortgage arrears. Then we ask them who is their lender, because the Minister and everyone of us knows the answer to that question will largely determine whether the family is going to recover or be buried by a vindictive lender. The Minister and I know that from our time together on the finance committee.

The Social Democrats has a set of policy proposals. A one-stop-shop for borrowers would provide financial and legal advice for free and it could be set up now. MABS is in place. Other social sector organisations are in place. We do not need to wait for legislation. We do not need to wait for a new Government next year to find its feet and figure out what it wants to do and negotiate a programme for Government. This could be done now.

I thank Deputy Donnelly.

Mandating a set of solutions which would provide consistency and fairness could be done now. Fixing the mortgage to rent scheme could be done now. I know from my time working with the Minister on the finance committee that he cares about the mortgage crisis but the sad reality is that the Government continues to take a hands off approach and does not act.

Before the next election the Government could introduce a one-stop-shop, mandate a set of solutions and scale up the mortgage to rent scheme. All of those things are possible. While I thank the Minister for saying he will look at the proposal, before this Dáil falls, why not take a genuine position of leadership and implement measures we know will immediately help 330,000 men, women and children in this country?

There is an idea.

It is completely untrue to say the Government has taken a hands-off approach to this problem. That is manifestly not true.

Of course, it is true.

The Deputy can disagree with some of the measures-----

Where is the evidence?

-----and he can say the Government should perhaps have gone further or that he disagrees with some of the approaches that were taken but it is ludicrous to suggest that we have taken a hands-off approach.

The Government is asleep at the wheel.

The entire effort of this Government in the past five years has been to stabilise the economy after the shocking economic collapse that occurred, including, in cases where people have had to cope with the impact of mortgage arrears, including insolvency legislation which we introduced and brought through the House, and also the provision of services such as the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS. My understanding is that since September this year MABS has been more involved and it has accelerated its efforts in regard to court mentoring-----

The finance committee was afraid to have the Governor of the Central Bank in. Does the Minister remember that?

-----and in giving advice to individuals who are faced with these issues. It is completely untrue to say that this is a hands off approach. The fact is that the number of people in arrears, the number of families in financial difficulties and household debt have reduced and are reducing, of that there is no question. When Deputy Donnelly compares Ireland to other countries he is not always comparing like with like because he knows that the crash in this country was far more severe than it was in any of the countries he could find with which to compare us.

What about Iceland?

Spain.

Iceland.

The reality is that we have achieved an enormous amount, we have stabilised the economy and the public finances and now there is hope for the people that the Deputy and I represent------

You are not giving them much hope.

-----who have faced mortgage difficulties. They have hope, they can sense there is hope and this Government is giving them hope. That is what happening. Those are the specifics in terms of the approach that this Government has taken-----

Is the Government afraid of the work involved?

-----and that is what will continue to work for the Irish people, namely, that the Government and politicians, and I include many politicians on both sides of the House, will work genuinely in the interests of their constituents and also in the interests of the country and in the interests of ensuring we have proper measures in place that are robust, that we have an economy that works and that the people of Ireland can profit from that.

Hear, hear.