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

Touching on vulture funds then again, there may be a need within that Bill to reach out to make them more accountable, to this House at least, so we can question them because they refuse to come in. I ask that the Minister might look at the various digital platforms that are there for people to take up these accounts, as some of the companies offering the accounts are not regulated here in this country. We need to look at that.

On credit unions, we have held them back for way too long. They have a great deal more to offer. Whatever the Minister does in this Bill, we need to deal with how they are regulated and, indeed, to lessen the load of regulation on them, without damaging the need to have control through a regulator, but to allow them to loan more. I am thinking, in particular, of what used to be known as the penny bank, where one brought one’s savings to the community centre and it was lodged then. Since the removal of that, I have had numerous people telling me how that way of saving for them was critical for their family, and it kept the door closed to moneylenders. The small little things like this in people’s lives make a very significant difference.