Legal rights group Flac will launch a guide to the law on anti-social behaviour today following a massive surge in housing, tenant and landlord-related calls.

Groups working with distressed mortgage holders have welcomed “belated” attempts by the Government to address the mortgage arrears crisis but criticised the lack of detail available so far.

The Government has been urged to take “radical” steps to stem the flow of house repossessions, as thousands of families face up to the threat of losing their homes.

Little has been done to increase the level of support available to people as they seek to restructure mortgage debt, writes Noeline Blackwell.

Mortgage insurance will drive up prices, provide minimal protection to borrowers and do little to improve the supply of houses as it is “the wrong medicine for the job”, a group of industry experts said yesterday.

A TSUNAMI is about to hit the courts.

The fallout from family breakups increasingly dominates the issues people are seeking legal help with, according to a nationwide law centre.

The average family will be left with €1,760 a month to live on under new rules outlining what should be considered reasonable living expenses for people in mortgage distress.

People availing of Ireland’s personal insolvency procedure will not have to worry about enjoying the odd treat or holiday so long as they comply with their banking agreement.

Banks should cover the cost of financial and legal aid for distressed homeowners who engage with them in an effort to reach a sustainable alternative arrangement on their mortgage, according to human rights group Flac.

A transgender dentist is to launch a fresh legal challenge for a new birth certificate recognising her as female.

The legal rights group Flac (Free Legal Advice Centres) threw its support behind a report issued by Davy Stockbrokers yesterday, urging banks to take a radical approach to dealing with mortgage arrears.

The press conference in Government Buildings was entitled “Action on Mortgage Debt”.

The Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan said today that the scale of the mortgage arrears crisis in Ireland is overwhelming the banks.

The current system for accommodating asylum seekers puts their basic human rights at risk and should be scrapped, campaigners said today.

Ireland has breached European human rights law over its failure to recognise a sex change that a transsexual underwent more than a decade ago.