Results 2,381-2,400 of 5,098 for speaker:Mairéad Farrell
- Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: 164. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a location (details supplied) is due to be used as accommodation for persons seeking international protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5040/23]
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: Gabhaim buíochas leis na finnéithe as teacht os comhair an choiste arís. I thank the witnesses for coming before the committee. An issue has been raised with me about micro-businesses and SMEs. I will ask the Ulster Bank representatives to reply to this first. How many remaining SMEs and microbusiness customers with overdraft limits does Ulster Bank have?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: What range does Ms Howard mean by, "a few thousand"?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: May I ask for clarification? Ulster Bank has 6,500 personal customers and another 6,000 SME customers. Is that correct?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: I am trying to get my head around this. I have a few questions in order that I can get a full understanding. I might refer back to the numbers Ms Howard mentioned. Is it correct to say that once these limits are removed, those customers will be classified as being in financial difficulty, under the terms of the SME regulations?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: However, if-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: Would that then impact customers in terms of the central credit register?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: Would it affect their credit score?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: Why "potentially"? How can that happen in some cases but not in others? Surely it would be both.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: I understand that banks have a responsibility, under the SME regulations, and are obliged to assist customers in that sense.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: I want to know up to what point. Is there a particular length of time?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: How long?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: What are the two timelines?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: Yes. That aspect arises all the time.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: We have always said that it is important that customers to engage but now we are getting to a crunch point for a lot of businesses.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: I am acutely aware of the impacts. Inflation is now at its pre-Covid rate so small and micro businesses are in a very difficult situation. We need to be frank and say that this is not as if the bank is leaving at a different point in time. I understand that some of these customers who are trying to find new banks have been told they must first wait until 12 to 18 months of trading has...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: Ms Howard has said that something is being streamlined through the PTSB. Is she saying that customers immediately get the exact same facility they had before with Ulster Bank?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: Let us say I had a business that sold tea to this committee, business was normal for a long number of years, and I always had a solid business for 20 years. Then Covid hit so the committee conducted meetings using MS Teams and I could not sell my tea to the committee. Now, costs have increased due to the war in Ukraine so my business is experiencing a difficulty. To recap, my business has...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland (1 Feb 2023)
Mairéad Farrell: Yes.