Ray Butler (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

When is publication expected of legislation on the sale of the loan books to unregulated third parties, to cater for the sale of loan books by regulated financial institutions to unregulated financial institutions? These loans are being bought for very small money and these unregulated institutions are looking for the principal. Will the legislation also provide for credit unions and the Irish Credit Bureau? People are going to loan sharks over the Christmas period to get small loans. We need the credit unions to open up their lending. The Irish Credit Bureau has closed down credit unions and it is a serious issue with people trying to pay bills after Christmas. We need to get credit unions to open up and to get them lending again. This is a huge issue in rural Ireland.

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