THERE is "alarm" at new
figures showing there were 35 repossession orders
granted in Donegal with 30 of these related to the
primary family home in the first half of the year.
Deputy Charlie McConalogue also revealed that court
proceedings had been initiated in a further 132
cases over the same period with 110 of these tied to
the family home.
“These figures are quite alarming. Dozens of
families are being dragged through the courts by the
banks while many have already lost their home.
This is only adding to the housing crisis facing
Donegal and many other parts of the country. The
repossessions we’re witnessing here and in other
regions are undermining the social fabric of our
communities," said the local Fianna Fáil TD.
“Repossession should be the last possible resort a
financial institution turns to. But this
government’s strategy has been to leave the banks in
the driving seat and stack the deck against families
who have fallen into arrears but want a sustainable
way to keep their home and enter into process to
resolve their situation." He said just one of the
132 proceedings lodged in Letterkenny in the first
half of the year related to a buy-to-let mortgage.
"The overwhelming majority are primary residents,
which means dozens more families could soon be added
to the social housing list in Donegal," he added.
Meanwhile he said a record 2,472 households are now
on the social housing waiting list in Donegal - an
almost 50% rise in two years.
He said there are "at least" 4,300 people now on
Donegal's social housing list, including families
with dependents. |
