Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply and commend him on his role in the establishment of the SBCI in conjunction with the EIB, the German state bank and the German finance minister. I welcome the amount of loans that have been made, up to one third in the agri sector which has been a powerhouse of job creation over the past number of years. It is great to see that this level of investment and lending is possible through the SBCI.

I understand that banks are obliged to inform applicants of the possibility of SBCI loans where the terms of their own loans are not agreeable or they are not agreeable to lending. Is this happening in all cases? Does the Minister envisage even more lending organisations coming to the fore over the next number of years in terms of providing increased competition notwithstanding the bodies he has listed?

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