Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I wish to talk about credit unions for a moment. We have financial statements from the 13 bodies that the Department has responsibility for from 2018 but we have not had an audited financial statement from the Credit Union Restructuring Board since 2016.

Is that board still active or is it being wound up? I will not beat the drum for a system of public banking, as we often do in the Green Party. However, in the absence of a kind person with €2 billion or €3 billion to capitalise a community bank, we are reliant on the commitment in the programme for Government to a reform of policy around credit unions to enable them to grow and to broaden the remit of credit unions and post offices to allow them to provide some community banking facilities. Is work being done on that and, if so, where are we in that regard?