Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will move to a slightly different angle on this. I raise the question of the Central Bank's control under the Bill and the general role of the Central Bank, which licenses the activities of all financial entities in this country, in particular in respect of the investment companies that have bought many of the impaired loans. All of the banks leaving this jurisdiction are either in the course of selling off or have sold off their loans already. That brings me to the point I have made numerous times over the last ten years.

Some of the new lending institutions are dealing for the first time with the account holders that were impaired, for want of a better description. Some are thoughtful, helpful and sympathetic, and try to help out in every way possible. Some are not, however, and they go out of their way to attempt to dismiss third party representatives. Many Deputies, as public representatives, have interposed ourselves into that position in order to protect, insofar as we can, people who became heavily indebted in recent years and whose problems have not yet been resolved. Can we be assured that the lending institutions coming into the marketplace and their agents will have due regard for the personal circumstances of the individual account holders with whom they are dealing?