Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Dáil will break tomorrow for the Christmas festivities and most of us will go back to warm homes and our families. We are the very lucky ones. For many citizens, this Christmas will be especially tough because of the Government's austerity policies. The ESRI's assessment of budget 2013 confirms that once again, the poorest have been hit hardest. It is not just those on the margins who are faoi bhrú. Lower and middle income families are not being protected by the Government.

This morning, we heard news that the Bank of Ireland, in which the State has a 15% share and which has received nearly €5 billion of citizens' money, is to hike credit card fees by up to 4%. This is a bank that is cashing in on people when they are most stretched at Christmas time. The Taoiseach is aware that surveys by the credit union movement indicate that people can take up to six months to repay Christmas spending. Many people are stuck in the mire and struggling to pay back debt accumulated over years. Some people are forced to use credit cards to pay for necessities. I spoke to a woman this morning who told me she received a letter from the bank telling her that at her current rate of payment, she would not clear her credit card debt until 2045. All this is heaping pressure on citizens who are already struggling. Does the Taoiseach agree that the hike in credit card fees is wrong? Have he or his Government been in contact with the banks about this? What steps does he intend to take to deal with these banks which have levied mortgage increases and new account and credit card fees?

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