James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman and the committee for inviting Sparkassen and the credit unions in and giving a strong message that this is not an either-or situation. We need our pillar banks, but their focus has very much moved away from face-to-face contact with the customer but the credit unions and Sparkassen have shown that their model of banking harks back more to the day of the face-to-face relationship and ease of doing business. I think we need both and I welcome the opportunity that Sparkassen has given us. I thank the people from Sparkassen for coming over, not once or twice but a number of times. I commend the credit unions on their persistence, because one needs persistence, but be under no illusion, many of us are hugely supportive of what they are doing. I also commend Irish Rural Link for opening the door and being the link with Sparkassen.