Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. This matter has been raised by Ministers in our interactions with the banks.

As the Deputy knows, it is a tricky issue. If somebody is in receipt of the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, by definition, the company he or she works for must be down 30% or more in terms of turnover. While that does not mean that person's job is at risk, it means it is more at risk than someone who works for a company that is not in receipt of the wage subsidy scheme.

Banks cannot turn a blind eye to that when it comes to calculating risk. We need to be honest about that. Again, however, I understand the case the Deputy has made. In our engagement with the banks, we make the point that while this is a commercial decision for them and they must assess it as part of their risk calculation, they need to be sensitive to people and have regard to that.

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