Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the mortgage book, Ulster Bank often reduces the interest rate from 5% to 0.5%, which makes it more accessible. Has a similar thing been done in business lending? Has business debt been written down? Working closely with clients in advance of seeking loans makes them more prepared for the loan. This is positive but the negative aspect is that an undefined amount of people are filtered out. A good chunk of them could be real loan opportunities but because of the bank's pro cyclical policy and a retrenchment with regard to credit, it has decided not to afford them credit.

In the SME sector, it is coming out of that trough in the cycle and yet in year six we see a tightening of credit. This is worrisome in respect of small businesses and their ability to grow. How does the north and south compare in most of these key indicators?