I wish to raise the case of a woman in Kilkenny who is unable to work due to cancer treatment and who has struggled with her mortgage as a result. Her mortgage was then sold off, without any consultation, by PTSB to Mars Capital, as it was labelled "under performing". Zero compassion or understanding was shown by PTSB, a majority State-owned bank. This is an outrageous practice by PTSB, selling off the mortgages of struggling cancer patients to vulture funds. This woman is still unable to work but her interest rate has now shot up to over 6%, more than double the current market rate. There must be an investigation into the outrageous pricing practices of these vulture funds and an end to the sale of mortgages without the consent of holders who are struggling with health issues.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I do not know whether the person concerned has secured a personal insolvency practitioner because that is the mechanism to deal with this in terms of engaging with whoever has the loan now. Generally, the courts have been sympathetic to people in their primary family residence, in terms of not evicting. A process of engagement is required to see if a resolution can be worked out that is affordable for the person, particularly given the circumstances-----

What I am asking is that-----

Perhaps the Deputy could engage further-----

Given that the person has cancer, and I do not know the full background of the case-----

The practices of these vulture funds have to stop.

Deputy, you have had your question.

Over the last decade loans have been sold but that has not resulted in wholesale evictions, which was asserted at the time. If people engage, generally speaking-----

Thank you Taoiseach.

I do not know the background to this case but if people engage, cases can get resolved.