Removal of debt cases from Master of High Court ‘deeply sinister and worrying’

The decision by the President of the High Court to remove mortgage debt cases from the Master of the High Court has been described in the Dáil as “deeply sinister and worrying”.

Master Edmund Honohan had been dealing with up to 200 cases a week involving claims over debts but last week Mr Justice Peter Kelly removed all debt cases from the Master to be directly assigned to a High Court judge.

People Before Profit Richard Boyd Barrett said Mr Honohan had challenged the "ruthlessness of banks".

“He called them out.”

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He said the move to remove debt cases from the Master was “deeply sinister and worrying”.

Earlier Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness said it was an “absolute scandal”.

Mr McGuinness had introduced a private member’s Bill to the Dáil drafted by Mr Honohan last year to assist those facing repossession.

The Master has consistently criticised various banks and funds in their bids to secure judgment against debtors and he described as a “sick joke” advice given by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to those wanting to get a mortgage-to-rent solution. Mr Varadkar had advised that people should avail of the Abhaile service but Mr Honohan said the service was “merely a voucher for €200 worth of legal advice before you go to the Circuit Court”.

The Master most recently came to public attention after breaking windows in his courtroom in December to clear what he described as a “fug” there.

Mr McGuinness said Edmund Honohan had “done this State a hell of a service”.

He had been “ fair to the banks, fair to the borrowers, creating a level playing field”, but had been removed from that task by the President of the High Court.

“It is an absolute scandal,” he said. “I was astonished last week to learn that the newspaper leading it knew before he did and then to try and compound the problems for the Master, certain comments made by other judges (were) put out into the public domain to discredit him.”

‘Destroy the messenger’

He said it was a “typical act of trying to destroy the messenger”.

Asked by Leas Cheann Comhairle to refrain from criticising the judiciary Mr McGuinness said: “I’ll refrain now that I’ve condemned them completely for the carry on of them down in the Four Courts and for the manner in which they have treated that individual.”

Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice also criticised the removal of debt cases from the Master.

But the Leas Cheann Comhairle said it was an internal matter for the administration of the Courts.

The TDs were speaking during debate on a Sinn Féin Bill introduced by party finance spokesman Pearse Doherty to refuse to allow lenders to sell mortgages without the consent of the mortgage holder.

Mr Doherty said the No Consent, No Sale Bill reflected what the Central Bank and former minister for finance Michael Noonan had previously said should be the norms that applied.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe hit out at what he described as the "self serving illusion that has been put forward by some speakers that they are the only people who appear to care about citizens who find themselves in great mortgage difficulty".

Nobody had had a “monopoly on compassion” and no opposition TD had referred to the reduction in mortgage arrears cases or to the supports in place to help people in financial difficulty, including insolvency legislation that had played a key role in reducing the level of repossession.