Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I refer again to the type of lending taking place. Much of the anecdotal information indicates that car finance packages are being advanced. I am concerned about the domestic rather than the international economy. In the context of recovery we should focus on a number of particularly vital areas, namely, exports, tourism, energy, agribusiness and microenterprise. AIB's submission to the committee states the fund for agribusiness is €250 million, that 625 applications have been sanctioned to date and that only €47 million in funding has been disbursed. Mr. Duffy has suggested the agri-sector offers a great deal of potential and is going to grow. I would like the lending that is going to take place to focus on indigenous businesses and those which are focused on exports and which can assist us, rather than on other areas. I have no intention of criticising the car sector - I am aware that many are employed in it - but with every car we buy, we are helping the Japanese and the Germans far more than we are helping ourselves. Is AIB's thinking on this matter along the lines to which I refer? What emphasis is it placing on driving the economy towards recovery?