As you know the issue of mortgage arrears is an important issue for Government and on 13 May the Government agreed a number of new measures to support mortgage holders who are in arrears. Building on action already taken, the measures aim to increase the supports available to people in arrears and to increase the numbers of people availing of them.
With regard to the status of the StepChange Debt Charity, I understand that talks are ongoing between the organisation and Irish banks regarding the proposition that StepChange would operate an advice service to help people struggling with the burden of debt to find a solution to their problems.