Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Prudence by the banks is welcome. However, what I would call prudent is not engaging in the stupidity bank managers did 20 years ago when a young couple went in seeking money for a house and were told they could also get money for a holiday, a car, black tarmacadam outside the door and big, steel gates that operated electronically. Prudence to me is cutting out that nonsense.

I want the banks to recognise that young couples need X amount of money to put a roof over their head, even if it is a bare, frugal roof, and to give them the start they need to do so. That is what I am looking for. I agree with the need for prudence. That is sound talk by Dr. McQuinn. However, there is a big difference between prudence and saying "No" and thereby leaving a generation behind. I do not want to be part of a country in which lovely young couples are being left behind and we are telling them they are consigned to renting forever because the banks do not have the word I will not say to give them a loan. That is inherently wrong. These people deserve the same start in life as the likes of me got years ago, when I was able to go in, shake hands with the bank manager and ask him to give me money and take a chance on me.

These people deserve the same type of a get-up that the rest of us got. Our guests in their roles and we as politicians should all be striving for that. We must keep our feet on the ground and common sense to the fore. We must give these lovely people a chance in life. That is all I am looking for.