Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise that I was not here for all the presentations but I have read through them. It is an unusual day with the passing of Martin McGuinness, and I will confine my contribution to five minutes because I am committed to some media interviews after this meeting.

If there is a common theme in the presentations it would be the frustration the movement seems to feel about the political and regulatory decisions, and the management of the sector, some of which the witnesses dealt with. The Irish League of Credit Unions, ILCU, summed it up as being a mismatch between what they are willing and able to do and the capacity of the policy makers and the regulators to match that willingness. The committee will hear from the Department and the regulator on Thursday and we know they will speak about their responsibility to ensure the prudent management of the sector to protect members. Do the witnesses believe this is what they are really concerned about or do they believe they are pursuing a wider policy goal? Are the actions of the Department and the Central Bank compatible with their members' vision of a modern credit union sector? What needs to be changed on their side? Do they believe their side has made the changes necessary to adapt to the demands of the credit union sector in 2017? Do they have confidence in the Central Bank and the Department as partners going forward or do they believe we need to examine the entire regulatory structure? There is a lot being sought in those questions but I ask the witnesses to comment on them.