Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Technical Group for affording me time to contribute to the debate. I compliment my colleague, Deputy Michael McGrath, on bringing forward this Bill. As the last speaker noted, Sinn Féin has tabled similar proposals, as have other Members of this House. The Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, apologised for the absence of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, who is in Brussels. Where is the wonder man, the Minister of State, Deputy Simon Harris? He was proclaiming last week about how much the situation in Greece might cost us until his senior Minister, Deputy Noonan, slapped him on the wrist a few hours later and said it will cost us nothing. This Government has been in office for four and a half years and the genie is out of the bottle.

Deputy Eamon Gilmore, when he was in opposition, promised, as then leader of the Labour Party, that he would burn the bondholders and sort out the banks. Hellfire would not be as hot as the fire he was going to start. Now he is going off into the sunset with his big pension. Many other members of this Government will be following him out of office, perhaps without the big pension, because the people will not put up with this. With interest rates elsewhere in Europe at 2%, mortgage holders here are paying 4%. The Government has had four and a half years to do something about this but has instead been feeble, lethargic and inept. The Minister, Deputy Noonan, was proclaimed as the man with the Midas touch who would sort it all out. He was apparently reformed since his time as Minister for Health when he oversaw the hepatitis C goings on. He was the new cool, clean Silvermint hero.

He has been found out. The Taoiseach, Deputy Kenny, had a cheek and the Minister, Deputy Noonan, was arrogant a few weeks ago when they lectured Greece, instead of minding their business in our small nation which has always been proud to support other small nations and the ordinary people. We have now gone past that and the ordinary people no longer matter. It is all about big business.

The Government promised the Central Bank consolidation Bill. It has been on the Order Paper since I was elected four and a half years ago, but it has not been introduced. There is no worthwhile legislation to deal with banks. It is a cabal and they want to do what they like. They want us to say, "Yes sir, how high sir, how much more do you want sir, screw the people as long as you like sir." It is disgusting.

People can get variable rate mortgages. They are waiting for the Minister, Deputy Kelly, to change the regulations in rural Ireland, as he promised, before they build anything, and the result is that nothing is happening. It was brought to my attention some months ago that there is a Bank of Ireland branch in Clonmel which has a list of properties that were removed and are now back up again. There is a note stating that not all of them are to be sold by the bank.

The people are being treated like pariahs under the Government's watch. It will be punished, and deservedly so, for the contempt it has shown, given that no Ministers came to the House, took this Bill seriously and responded to it. The Bill will be voted down and Ministers will tell their constituents they did not vote, but they have been found out. What the banks are doing is despicable. They are only interested in big business.

See this speech in context