Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 15 April 2014

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Access to Finance for SMEs: Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and AIB

4:00 pm

Mr. Bernard Byrne:

The credit guarantee scheme has not been particularly successful. The words “temporary” and “partial” were problems. A guarantee scheme that is not for the duration of the loan and does not cover it creates a challenge. The underlying credit in itself could not support the application. If someone does not give the comfort and respect of it, then one is not changing the credit decision.