Tom Shehan (Fine Gael)

Will the Leader invite the Minister for Finance to attend the House so that we might ascertain the measures he is pursuing to get banks to release credit to businesses? The initiatives, incentives and policies pursued by the Government to return people to work and to maintain and create jobs in small businesses will not work unless we get banks to lend. Yesterday, I was contacted by a constituent, the third generation in business, whose direct debit of €3,500 was returned by a bank because it would leave the constituent €37 overdrawn. Business cannot continue under this banking cloud.

I support Senator Barrett's point. Recently, another constituent whose kitchen needed to be replaced was contacted by a local council staff member. The council sent an engineer to tell the person it had no funding. Why is the engineer there if there is no funding to carry out the work?