I share Senator Aideen Hayden's concerns about the Central Bank report on the seven banks that are breaking the rules on how they treat people in arrears. It is disturbing to hear that banks are continuing with legal action to repossess homes even though they had agreed a revised deal with a struggling homeowner. Other banks are taking away Central Bank protection from mortgage customers because they did not agree to a repayment schedule over the telephone.

What was disturbing about the interview I heard this morning with a representative of the Central Bank was that no stern action appears to be planned. The banks were to be contacted and told to correct their misdemeanours, which is very limited action and the Central Bank needs to adopt a much tougher stance on those seven banks. They were not named and I believe they should be named and shamed.

I welcome the announcement that the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, is preparing a new campaign to get workplaces to become more active by encouraging the public sector, which employs just short of 300,000 people, to develop healthy workplace policies. Public sector companies and agencies, which employ 15% of the total workforce, will be encouraged to make their workplace a healthier place and get staff to be more active under the new plans to involve active travel. It will also try to get employees involved in walking, running and other activities, and exercise groups as well as promoting healthy eating options in staff canteens. This is very welcome. However, I also appeal to the private sector and in particular large employers to follow this line and to start to develop healthy workplaces promoting healthy food options in canteens, as well as promoting exercise, walking and cycling groups within large enterprises. We all know the problems we have with obesity and ill health. The more we can promote healthy opportunities in all workplaces, the better for the Exchequer. It should also help to ease considerably the strain on the health budget.

I join Senator Michael Mullins in mentioning the seven mortgage lenders who have been found to be in breach of the code of conduct on mortgage arrears following expressions by the Central Bank of Ireland. As we know, that framework was introduced in 2011 to ensure that the banks would play ball with the almost 120,000 residential mortgage holders who are in arrears. Despite the concerns expressed by the Senator, the problem with the Government's approach is that it is all tea and sympathy when it comes to people who are in mortgage arrears but it has done precious little about putting in place policies and supports for people who are in mortgage arrears. It has continued to allow the banks to have an absolute veto on what is happening.

That day is gone.

Here we go again with Ministers and Government Senators passing the buck to the Central Bank and others. Of course, they have a role and they have expressed clear concerns about the breach of fair process, which was the very essence of the CCMA framework in the first place. Today The Irish Times reported: "Lenders also continued to seek additional ad-hoc payments from borrowers on top of agreed revised repayments without formally assessing their ability to make these additional payments". A number of weeks ago I was outside the courthouse in Waterford when more than 30 families were before the courts over potential repossessions. Again, the banks were not playing ball with those families. These are people who have tried their best. They have gone through MABS and gone through the process. They are paying what they can yet the banks are going for repossession. There is no write down, no proper restructuring and none of the options the Government claims are available, such as split-mortgages and mortgage to rent. Those options are not available to people because the banks are simply not using them. Until the Government faces up to that reality and faces down the banks, into which we invested huge amounts of money, and properly represents those people who are in mortgage arrears, we will continue to have these problems. My message to Government Senators and Ministers is for them to offer less tea and sympathy and show more action. They should put in place the policies for which they are paid to ensure that those in mortgage arrears get at least a fair crack of the whip and are properly represented because the Government has failed them up to now.