Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister and his Department have a very simple and important fund for existing small businesses which have been adversely impacted by the Covid crisis. That fund is a loan that can be given to businesses for five and a half years. It is administered through AIB. My understanding is that the money is being made available essentially for free. However, when the business takes up the offer of the money and does it through AIB, I believe it ends up paying - do not hold me to this - 4% or 4.5%. Is that not an extraordinary handling fee by a bank that was bailed out by the taxpayers? If I am wrong in what I am saying, I ask the Minister to correct me because that is my genuine understanding.