Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Rural Independent Group, I wish everybody a very happy, holy and peaceful Easter. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for all his events.

Before we leave, and in case we go into cuckoo land altogether, AIB has just sold off a huge proportion of performing loans alongside non-performing loans. A young man in my constituency is out of his mind with worry. He just got a letter in the post to say all his loans had been sold to a vulture fund. He never had an issue with the bank. He is in good stead with it. He is a wonderful builder and has always been a good employer but he is perplexed. He gave the bank a quick ring only to be told that his relationship manager had been changed. He finally got a phone call yesterday but he might as well have been whistling Dixie or whistling to the cuckoo because the man was not listening. He could not answer any questions. An answering machine would have been just as good.

Has the Government lost its moral compass completely that it would allow AIB to do that to genuine customers who are working hard and are, thankfully, in a good position financially? None of this can happen without the imprimatur of the Minister for Finance. This is outrageous. The former Minister, Deputy Noonan, welcomed vulture funds but the entire Government must be gone into cuckoo land or must think the electorate has gone into it. This is shocking. Will it be stopped?

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