John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Committee members will monitor that situation. I firmly believe that in dealing with legacy issues, the banks should be to the fore and not afraid to deal with them. That takes all stakeholders into account. I am not saying that the law is on the side of EBS. I am saying that common sense would dictate that people who have a grievance should at least try that process. That would be not just my opinion but obviously the opinion of the judge too. I ask the witnesses to take note of it and hopefully deal with it in that way.

My next question is about dairy farmers. We have had a number of complaints from dairy farmers about banks generally, especially in the south east, with the factory at Belview which is now going through a process. Some of the farmers have committed to the extension of their dairy systems and dairy herd. Some are new entrants, but not many. They have applied to the banks for money to expand to meet the demands for a new factory at Belview. It would seem that they have been stalled in that process from the reports that I and my colleagues in the House are receiving. Are the witnesses aware of any of that? Some of the loan applications have been approved. Since they have been made, the cost of steel, construction and so on has gone up. Will the witnesses comment on the policy of the bank with regard to dairy farming generally and about the development at Belview?