Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I was going to raise the hire purchase issue, as finance companies are not regulated. FLAC has raised the matter with the Central Bank and the Department of Finance but has there been a response? Perhaps this was dealt with before I arrived. What are their duties in this respect? During the summer there was much debate about life assurance and I heard it being discussed quite a bit on the "Liveline" programme. Terms were changed regarding the amount of premia that would have to be paid in order to maintain insurance levels; in some cases if premia were not raised, the cover decreased.

I have a question about FLAC offices, particularly in Galway city, where a very fine service is run. There is an issue with resources and staffing. Perhaps the witnesses do not want to deal with that but I would appreciate if they could tell me something. I am fully supportive of the work but there have been some complaints at policing committees I attended that sometimes people get too much free legal aid. For example, repeat offenders may get free legal aid on a number of occasions, and this is not the way to go when tackling crime. I am somewhat outside the issue being discussed today.