Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

That reply was not the Minister of State's. It was useless, toothless and fruitless. There has been inertia in this and the previous Governments when it comes to dealing with the banks. We have no legislation, yet other European countries have introduced legislation to compel banks to deal with people during Covid.

The reply is cold comfort to people in the music industry, taxi drivers, small businesses and everyone else. We are all in this big boat together, but the Government has cut adrift the 50,000 small business people who have mortgaged their homes, bands and equipment. It will all be taken from them now. It has already started. They are out on an inflatable dinghy that is losing air fast, but the Government does not care about them. They need our support and help.

I cannot understand it. The Government is like a rabbit in the headlights and afraid of the banks. The banks have treated people dastardly for decades. There has been skullduggery and blackguarding. People have ended their lives through suicide, families have been destroyed and mental health issues have arisen because of the situation the banks created during the previous scandal. The current crisis is outside our control, but the banks are carrying on their merry way and the Government is intimidated by them. We need the Central Bank to deal with them, not sweet-talk them.

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