Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste said, "if we have to introduce new legislation". The bankers stole up to €1 billion from 33,000 families in the State, they took their homes off them, they crippled them financially and emotionally, they broke up families, they sent people to the edge, and the Tánaiste tells me, "if we have to introduce new legislation". Not a single banker will be held to account. The enforcement procedures of the Central Bank will slap them with a fine and the bankers will place that fine onto the pockets of their customers in increased charges and increased rates. Today, as we speak, KBC and Ulster Bank are still telling us brazenly that they have thousands of customers on the wrong rate. Permanent TSB tells us everything is fixed, yet its customers tell us they are on the wrong rate. Bank of Ireland is fighting its own employees because it put them on the wrong rate. Victims have been failed by the Central Bank, the Financial Services Ombudsman and the Government and they have to go and take the risk to fight these banks in the High Court.

We brought forward class action legislation in this House and, thankfully, we will have the support of other Opposition parties. The Government opposed it, however - it opposed giving a chance to the victims to stand together. I will bring forward legislation next week, which will make it a crime for bankers to lie to the Central Bank, which they have done. This means they will face a term of imprisonment. Will the Government oppose that also?

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