Banks taking people to court ‘to get money back’, says Micheál Martin

Two-thirds of those in mortgage arrears were in employment, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin told the Dáil on Tuesday.

He said this demonstrated a capacity for those people to meet their obligations under sustainable resolutions – if the banks would engage.

Mr Martin said Minister for Finance Michael Noonan had observed the banks were just getting involved to force people to engage. This was both "a detached and dishonest intervention'', he added.

He said the banks were not bringing people to court to force them to engage because, as human rights organisation Flac has pointed out, there was no legal aid or remedy available once they got into court.

“They are being brought to court because property prices are rising, valuations are rising and the banks can now get their money back,’’ he said.

Mr Martin said there was “extraordinary anxiety and stress for many ordinary families, couples, women and so forth, who were brought before the courts to have their houses repossessed’’.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the introduction of an independent review of the process leading to house repossessions should be examined.

Mr Kenny said the minister for justice of the day had introduced an amendment that, perhaps, there should be an independent review of the options put forward by the practitioner before the matter went to the court. “I think that is something we have to look at it.”

He said another series of measures would be introduced next month designed to assist people who were trying to retain their family homes.

Mr Kenny said there should also be an examination of the options open to families in houses in which the value was reduced to market level, and who still could not meet the conditions involved.