Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, can see that people are being robbed blind with tax, but the banks are getting away with murder. They are in bed with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. I cannot believe that after the bailout and the misery and persecution they put on people, the banks are back now doing the very same again. What is the Government doing? As I said previously to the Ceann Comhairle, the Government is rubbing a sow to a fat pig's you-know-what. That is what it is.

I am disappointed. I have criticised other Ministers as well so I will criticise my namesake, the Minister, Deputy McGrath, for leaving again before we come up to speak. Our ideas do not matter. They do not matter at all. We do not matter. The Government is in concert with the banks and have let them get away with blue murder in the way they are treating families. The European Central Bank has introduced ten interest rate hikes over the past while to tackle inflation. It is failing to tackle inflation so why keep doing it? The definition of madness is to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. That is what the Government is doing but it has no mercy for the ordinary people. Deputy O'Donoghue spoke about the tax and Deputy Collins referred to the banks not engaging, even after a good judge intervened. Many judges are not that fair to the customers and most of them are on the side of the banks too, and the vulture funds. The ordinary person has no shake-up. Is it any wonder that people are frustrated and disappointed. These are the people who get up in the morning and help themselves. They are not homeless people. They house themselves. They put their faith in themselves, got the mortgage and built or bought their own house. The Government is crucifying them every which way it can in tax and in mortgage rates.

I support the motion tonight but it is not in any way targeted. We cannot give it everyone but it should definitely be reintroduced for a mass cohort of the people who are in this situation. They cannot live. They cannot put their children back to school, college or education, run their cars and try to live. It is just not fair and it is just not right, but when will the Government wake up and smell the coffee? It will not until it is flat out on its ear.

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