Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 11 December 2014

Public Accounts Committee

Credit Union Fund Accounts 2013; Credit Resolution Institution Fund Accounts 2013; and Credit Union Restructuring Board Accounts 2013

12:40 pm

Mr. Joe O'Toole:

In terms of how it could be done, we mentioned earlier that the business plan for every credit union depends on two sources of income, one of them being investment income. It does not need a change of legislation to allow them to keep their reserves in, let us say, a State-guaranteed fund for social housing where they will get a better rate of return than the 1% they are getting at the moment. There are simpler ways in which it could be done. I think the decisions would be at Central Bank level because as Mr. Hession has said, the legislation in its general principles allows for an approach in that direction.