Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

During the past 40 years the balance of credit power has moved very much in favour of main contractors compared to the past. I remember one of the country's largest contractors used to be clients of ICC Bank and their reliance on loans was much greater in yesteryear than it has become in recent years because they, in turn, receive their credit not from their bank, but from their subcontractors. They had to have a large amount of cash on hand every Friday to pay the wages of the labourers who would have numbered 4,000 across the country. That is no longer needed because all their inputs are in the form of subcontractors who, in turn, employ the labour.