Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. In essence, we are part of a government of a very stressed society and people rightly expect their public representatives to demand accountability. While I am proud of our record as a Government on many fronts, this is an issue on which the record will show I have been seeking answers for 12 months, almost to the day.

It is simple and straightforward. As somebody humbled and honoured to represent the people as a Member of this House, I requested first the Minister and then the Central Bank to answer the straight question as to how many accounts under the governance of the Irish banks have been moved from a tracker rate to a variable rate, because the evidence of which I am aware suggests a number of them have been moved? It is a practice that must be examined. It is despicable if the banks are taking advantage of borrowers under duress and stress and encouraging them off their tracker rates onto variable rates.

The bigger issue is that the Central Bank, which governs and monitors the banks - that is not my duty, as a public representative, or the Minister's - cannot or will not provide me with the answer to that one question I have sought for 12 months. It has sent me around the houses and down every avenue rather than provide me with it.

The Central Bank talks about policy. My personal assistant and I met a number of the officials in the Central Bank. We asked, ahead of their last investigation into the banks and the report they was compiling, if they would specifically ask each bank how many accounts had moved and yet they have come back to me again with the same nonsense on what the policy is. I am not interested in the policy. I would appreciate it if the Minister would commit today to getting the information that I seek from the Central Bank and, by extension, from all the banks.

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