Mr. David Hall:

No, I think Mr. Kissane said it. A number of these loans are owned by individual service agents, as well as servicing on behalf of third parties. It is simple gouging and there is no other way around it. Some of these entities, as the Deputy mentioned, have money from different jurisdictions. That is there own money and they have not even borrowed it. Yet, they are at 7%. It is just raw gouging.

The Central Bank, for some bizarre reason, has decided it has no interest in getting involved in this. Mr. Burgess mentioned earlier that this is a cohort of people who are being crushed with everything else that is going on that the Oireachtas has collectively been dealing with regarding the cost of the living. While no one needs a lecture on the cost of living, many people now are looking at day-to-day living and surviving and are making big decisions in their families and in their lives. In the meantime, there is the stigmatisation of being communicated with multiple times by these vulture funds that are looking for increased rates. Now they have to make basic decisions, such as whether they feed or clothe themselves, turn on the heat, travel, go to a job or pay a bank or a vulture fund. There is huge pressure on people and this is not ending. People are really at an end game, but there are no hard questions being asked.

It is a disgrace that those entities have never appeared before the Oireachtas. It is the greatest insult, not just to the Oireachtas and to the members of this committee, but to all their customers and clients around the country that they have given the two fingers and have never appeared in this House or before this committee to answer those questions. Those are the key questions that need to be answered. They need to be answered by the funds, as the Deputy has asked and as we will always ask. Why do they not appear before the committee and answer those questions honestly for the customers who are under immense pressure? These are people who are under savage pressure. Everybody here, including myself, Mr. Kissane, Mr. Burgess, the committee members, their staff and their colleagues, is being contacted by people every single day who are now under pressure from all fronts. Why are so many charging 7%?