Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

I add my words to those of previous Senators who referred to the current banking situation and the pressure that is bringing to bear on smaller businesses. I received two phone calls this morning from two small businesses in west Donegal, one in the tourism sector and one in the construction-manufacturing sector. They have been in business for a long number of years and the banks are putting increasing pressure on them regarding overdrafts and other financial incentives that would have been available a short few years ago.

We need to review the current position of the banks. These are the same banks that inflicted huge hardship on many Irish pensioners, who had small savings a few years ago, by giving the names of those pensioners to the Revenue Commissioners. I refer to the so-called offshore accounts where names were signed by bank managers. Individuals did not sign up to these accounts, the bank managers signed up to them on behalf of very vulnerable people. This House should lead by example by having a very serious and constructive debate on where the banks are at present and let us review the position in light of the guarantees given by the Government. With those guarantees there should be a responsibility and the banks should fulfil that responsibility. I call on the Leader to have an emergency debate on banking in this country. Let us review the present position because it appears to be changing by the day. The banks appear to be changing the guidelines and raising the bar, and that is affecting jobs. We must support our indigenous employers. I want to make that point with some force because it is a cause of concern. The two companies I referred to in Donegal are in danger of laying workers off as a result cashflow, and that is determined by the banks.