Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister of State's response. From the outset I should have declared, a Chathaoirligh, that I previously, many years ago, was a member on a board of a local credit union, lest there be any accusations of conflicts of interest or anything, but that was long before being in public office. That experience gave me great insight into the work credit unions do to improve their own situations and to progress in life. I am concerned at the moment that credit unions find themselves in a perfect storm. The Minister of State's help, and the support of the Minister for Finance and the Government as a whole, is critical now and perhaps has never been as critical in the history of the credit union movement in Ireland. I welcome very much the Minister of State's commitments to engage further with the credit unions and to have an open-door policy. He will have an open door to some of the best people in the country, some of the real local heroes and unsung heroes of our communities, both at local and national level, as far as the Irish League of Credit Unions is concerned. It is important that the points they put forward are facilitated, where possible.

12 o’clock

It is not always possible to do everything, but as I referred to earlier, there is nothing outlandish in what the credit unions are looking for here. They are looking for a fair crack of the whip but they are trying to fight with both hands, not just one hand, tied behind their backs. That is terribly sad when one considers the enormously positive impact that the credit union movement has had throughout Ireland over the past six decades.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers. I acknowledge the inclusion of numerous references to the credit union movement in the programme for Government. The credit unions have a big role to play in numerous aspects of life in the time ahead, but they need a better environment in which to carry out their business and continue their excellent work into the future. I hope Deputy Chambers will take a hands-on approach in making this one of his key issues as a Minister of State in the Department of Finance so that his work will benefit everybody in the country.

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