Dáil debates
Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
12:25 pm
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source
I am the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. I have responsibility to try to ensure that businesses are treated fairly, and that enterprise has an opportunity to thrive and grow. That includes the relationship, obviously, with the banking sector. I will be happy to get more detail. I do not recall getting the details of this. Maybe that correspondence came into my constituency office. I certainly have not seen it. I was only given a few days' notice that I was doing Leaders' Questions today. I did not know the Deputy would be raising this issue. If it is helpful, I would be happy to meet the family. We can schedule that. I do not want to promise the world, though. Government Ministers do not control banks, and they should not. I assume AIB has sold on this loan and, therefore, has no more control or attachment to it if it is with Everyday Finance. That is probably a legal reality. It is important that we do not make claims we cannot follow up on. I will meet a representative from the O'Donovan family if the Deputy thinks that would be helpful, and I will go through their case in more detail with them.
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