Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
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I will explain the problem. The revised proposals allow the bank to determine whether one is co-operating. If one wants to appeal, one has to appeal to the bank. As far as I am aware, consumers or citizens cannot appeal to the Central Bank. The banks have not necessarily acted in the interests of the country in the last while. Some of them, at least, may continue to act in that way. If a bank decides that one has not replied to it within a timeframe it deems appropriate, it can decide that one is not co-operating. If one wants to appeal that, one will have to appeal it to the bank. We can guess what the answer will be in those circumstances. If the bank decides one is not responding to its timescales in a way it deems appropriate - with no oversight from the Central Bank and no independent appeal - it will be able to classify one as non-co-operating. The bank will be able to remove the statutory provisions given to one by the Oireachtas and the Central Bank. It will then be able to start hitting one with lots of charges on one's arrears. I suggest that it will be much easier for the banks to act in this manner under the new proposals. I suggest that some of them, based on our interactions with them in here, will do whatever they can to get more money in.