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Seanad
‹ Order of Business

Mortgage arrears and insolvency

Summary

Senator O’Donnell seeks a debate on long-term mortgage arrears and whether the insolvency regime and Circuit Court appeal process adequately protect family homes.

There are 32,000 homeowners with mortgages that are in arrears for more than two years. It is the elephant in the room for people with homes. I ask the Leader to arrange for the relevant Ministers to come to the House for a wide-ranging debate on whether the insolvency regime is fit for purpose. An appeal mechanism was introduced to allow people to appeal decisions to the Circuit Court. I have heard anecdotal evidence that many homeowners are not availing of this mechanism. Why is that the case? We should have a debate on the matter in the House as the family home is very important. This issue of people not paying their mortgages for more than two years is extremely important. I, therefore, ask the Leader to arrange for the relevant Ministers to come to the House for a debate on the matter.

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