Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I listened carefully to what Dr. Kelly was saying, that he does not see evidence of rejections because people are not asking. Is there any fear that the people are so turned off that they are not even going to the banks at this stage because they know the banks are not lending? He did not touch on one subject. Can we ever get back to the situation we had before, where the bank manager would actually do something to earn the title of manager, rather than having a sign saying “Manager” over the door but not managing anything because it is all in Dublin? Can we get back to that stage where a person could face a manager in a bank, look for a loan and have the manager size up the situation from his or her point of view, as happened before? If there is a big money, such as a mortgage for a house, it could involve the recommendation of the manager. Dr. Kelly did not touch on mortgages as such. Can he see what I am saying? Banks are not user-friendly at the moment. Nobody is working in the branches. Instead, they are full of machines are, which is not good either and will not be changed overnight. God damn it, could we get to a stage where they would be more user-friendly and the manager would earn the title of manager of the bank?