Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)

I would like to respond to some of the comments made by the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, last night. The Government seems to rely on its amendment in defence, on the credit being given to small businesses and on the Credit Review Office. I do not know whether anybody in the House knows anything about the Credit Review Office but we should put it under scrutiny before we accept what the Government has to say. The Credit Review Office receives virtually no appeals because of the process through which any small business must go. The first kangaroo court is a kind of internal banking appeal system and then the appeal goes to the Credit Review Office. The Credit Review Office is headed by a man called John Trethowan who, while he may be a good person, is a former big banker with National Irish Bank. There are 12 assistant reviewers at the Credit Review Office to whom small businesses must go and appeal one by one. The first nine of these I counted are all former bankers. Why, in the name of God, would a small business refused a loan by his bank manager, by the bank's internal review system, go to the Credit Review Office, which is full of former bankers?

It is a nice little number for ex-bankers who are retired to do their business and go away again. They are deeply embedded in the banking culture. They have three people on what I think they call a non-banking panel. I do not know much about these people because the office is very reluctant to identify the individuals who are on the panel. It is a kind of secret society. The only one I can identify is an ex-career banker. He has a different job now but he spent a large part of his career in J.P. Morgan. We are dealing with a bogus appeals system. Do not let the Government come to me and say the Credit Review Office works. It does not work. It does not work because it has ex-bankers on the board. If we want a real appeals system we should have consumers and people who have suffered in this crisis and who are more sympathetic.

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