Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 21 February 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

Banking Sector in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed)

4:00 pm

Mr. Padraic Kissane:

The banks probably also feared fictitious claims and people looking for something they were not entitled to. However, I have not seen such claims. Even if it were tried, I would not let it through because one would know it was made up. I asked a lady a question one night in my office. I asked her if I had a magic pen which could do anything, what would she want from this process? Her answer astonished me. She wanted to humiliate the banks the way they had humiliated her. It had nothing to do with money. Her life was close to being destroyed. I have sat through hours upon hours of tears and reflections. People are being asked to come in to me about their innermost feelings. People are being asked to crash their car again, but this time they know they are going to hit the wall. It has been an open wound for six years. I am not certain the banks have any interest in hiring the correct surgeon to resolve it.