Taoiseach: ‘Family not following all options’

A family facing eviction in Kanturk, Co Cork, may not be following all the options legally available to them to help keep their home, the Taoiseach has told the Dáil.

Enda Kenny was answering questions about the plight of Martin and Claire O’Sullivan, after the High Court secured an order for repossession of their four-bedroom, semi-detached house.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin asked Mr Kenny to appoint someone in his department to intervene and prevent the eviction of the couple and their three children, all of whom are under the age of eight.

The O’Sullivans moved into the house seven years ago and secured a €180,000 mortgage with Start Mortgages. They were paying €1,000 a month until Mr O’Sullivan lost his plumbing business. He was self-employed so was not entitled to social welfare payments.

They have not made a repayment for about two years but insist they have made offers to start paying something — the latest offer was to pay €400 a month.

Mr O’Sullivan — who recently started a telesales job — said Start Mortgages has refused to accept the offers.

Mr Kenny told the Dáil that house repossessions are a “very last resort” and insolvency legislation has been introduced to protect the rights of homeowners.

“There is a specific right included in the legislation that where all options have not been explored, that a stay on the legality of house repossessions can be put in place,” he said.

The opportunity should be made available for an insolvency practitioner “to look at the options that are there, to look at the offers that were made by the couple on behalf of themselves and their family, to look at the changed situation in that the man himself — I understand — is now back in full employment”, he said.

“That would lead to a situation where all the options are explored and followed through and that no repossession takes place until that happens.”

Mr Kenny said he feels for the family, but added: “I’m not sure if they are following — or their advisers are following — all the options of having a practitioner look at this, or to apply to the court to have that right applied to them.”

Fianna Fáil proposed an independent mortgage resolution office. Mr Martin said: “If the eviction is to take place, invariably the couple will be on the housing list, the county will have to purchase a house at some stage. It will actually cost the taxpayer more in the full follow through of this particular scenario.”