Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

If what happened in this country over the last number of years happened in other jurisdictions, there would be a lot of fire brigades out and a lot of places burnt because people in other countries would not tolerate something like this. It has been happening continuously and is caused by the banking system we have and the bankers we have.

I have a few questions, like other Deputies. When did the last Government get to know about this, given it was highlighted here in the House? What did the last Government do about it when it was highlighted? I believe nothing was done. It is not clear how many mortgage holders are involved and we do not know how many people have lost their homes. We are only getting to know bit by bit, drip by drip. How many families have been separated because of this debacle? When bills and financial troubles come in the door, love is not long going out the window. I can tell the Minister that. How many families have been separated, upset and driven apart forever by this scandal? How many mortgage holders have committed suicide? The banks have been disgraceful in the way they have blackguarded honest, hard working people. What did the Central Bank do, given it is supposed to be in charge of our banks? It did nothing. Where is the regulator and what was he doing? The last regulator landed us in trouble before this.

Community banking works well in other countries, as Deputy Harty said. Why not consider it here? How do banks propose to compensate people? Will they buy houses for the people who lost their houses wrongly? When will they do this? What amount would compensate their loved ones because of this outrage? Apologies are no good. People have to be brought to task for this. There is no doubt there was collusion between managers and former managers. It was not the bank buildings which orchestrated this criminal policy. Those responsible must be brought to account immediately and the Minister for Justice and Equality has a role to play in this sorry debacle.

The banks have been blackguarding people going back to the early 1980s. Look what they did to the people with foreign bank accounts. They advised people to put their accounts under foreign addresses but the banks then squealed on them, and they were faced with massive bills. I will give one example. A man telephoned me one night when I was coming home along a lonely road, and he said: "Danny, they are looking for £90,000 off me but I will not give it to them." I said to him that he would have to, but what happened? That man committed suicide that night, before morning. He made up his mind that he was not going to give it to them. That is what the banks have been doing and there is no accountability. I am asking the Ministers to do something. They should get the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Garda Commissioner to round these people up and bring them to account because they know who they are.

See this speech in context