Mr. Seamus Boland:

The report needs to be published. We hope it looks favourably on the concept and we would be extremely disappointed if it does not. Assuming it does, the Department of Finance needs to engage directly with Sparkassen and stakeholders generally to look at the detailed perspective we put forward. It needs to visit the Sparkassen set-up in Germany to see for itself. Alternatively, it would need to come up with a different idea. We have put forward a solution. Irish Rural Link is often criticised for knowing what is wrong but not being able to fix it. We have put forward a real, detailed solution and we want it to get the respect it deserves. We want the Department of Finance to engage at the highest level and in a serious way to explore the concept. It should tell us why it thinks it will or will not work. We also need the committee and Deputies across the House to support it strongly, as various organisations outside this House are doing. We need to give a clear message to the Department that this has to be explored. We want a healthy economy and a healthy banking system but are we satisfied with a system in which there are mainstream banks and credit unions but nothing in the middle? If we are, then we are heading for the next crash.