Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the fact that the Minister will revisit the issue of the prohibition of family members of volunteers from sitting on boards. Insisting that someone with a brother or sister who volunteers in a credit union should not be allowed to sit on its board goes too far in a small community. Another approach to the issue of volunteers serving on boards would be to put a cap on the number of such persons serving so that there would not be undue influence by a group of volunteers acting together.

Most credit unions rely on volunteers to a greater or lesser extent.

Some of them rely on them to a huge extent. It will probably not be a huge issue in my area, which is largely urban and has a far bigger pool of people who might be interested in serving, but it is a concern in small rural communities, and I have met representatives of a number of those credit unions. Another way to get around it is to put a cap on the number of volunteers who can serve on the board of a credit union.