Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In that case, will the Minister consider loosening restrictions for tier 1 and 2 credit unions? Regarding the rule about no business lending for a credit union with capital reserves under €10 million, from my experience with microfinance in the US and not just the developing world, operations with less than €10 million in reserves can be good at providing microfinance. More so than large financial institutions, they understand the lender, the context and the community. My knowledge of microfinance globally suggests it would be a missed opportunity for tier 1. Will the Minister and his team consider this and then we can examine what limited business lending means? I take it this needs to be defined.