Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Senator Darragh O'Brien raised a number of matters, including the Civil Registration (Marriage Equality) Bill which is on the Order Paper in my name. I hope to bring it forward as soon as I can. I am conscious that colleagues might have other matters they wish to raise during the Labour Party's Private Members' time. It will take its turn.

I can ask when the Minister for Justice and Equality will be available for a debate on policing. To be fair to the Minister, he is in the House on a very regular basis and is one of the Ministers who most frequently initiate Bills in the Seanad. It is an important thing to note. It is very good for the House and the quality of debate on Bills generally when they commence here. The Minister will be here regularly in the coming weeks on other legislation.

Senator Coghlan raised developments in the context of the speech of the Chief Justice at Griffith College's law society. I join the Senator in commending the Chief Justice, Mrs. Justice Susan Denham, for her measured approach and her steady hand. I should declare my own interest as a barrister and member of the Law Library. Many of us with an interest in the area anticipated that the Chief Justice would have sensible comments to make on the matter. As she has said, the Attorney General is the appropriate channel for communication between the Judiciary and the Executive. That has remained the case in recent weeks when the matter has been in the media. The Chief Justice has established a working group for renewal which will support the channels of communication which have remained in place and which continue to remain in place between the Judiciary and the Executive through the offices of the Attorney General. It is very clear that the working group will work very well in supporting the communication channels. We are all very conscious of the need to protect the separation of powers but also to ensure as a matter of practicality that there are working channels of communication. I am very glad the issue has been dealt with clearly by the Chief Justice.

Senator Barrett raised the welcome news of the university rankings in which Trinity College Dublin is ranked 48th in the world. I join the Senator in commending the ranking. I join the Senator in expressing concern on reports of an increase in charges by AIB. Other Senators have sought a debate on banking, in which context the issue might be raised. He also raised the matter of an amendment to item 14 on the Order of Business to debate his Financial Stability and Reform Bill. I am happy to accept the amendment in the normal way.

Senator Hayden raised the publication of the personal insolvency guidelines which will be launched by the Minister for Finance this afternoon. There has been a great deal of debate in the context of the guidelines, which we all look forward to seeing. I am glad to see reports today which suggest there will be a degree of flexibility built into them. Senator Hayden is right to say the guidelines will, at least, give borrowers in distress objective criteria by which they may deal with banks. It is very important that banks be held to account. The current case-by-case way in which borrowers are being dealt with raises issues about inconsistency and arbitrary decisions. It will be very helpful to have a clear set of guidelines in place. We hope they will be sensible and provide the required degree of flexibility. Senator Hayden also sought a debate with the Minister for Finance on the role of the banks. She has sought that before and I will renew my request to the Minister.

Senator O'Donovan was the first to raise the fodder crisis. He very kindly referred to my Crookstown roots, which I am always delighted to recall. I grew up to the west of Cork city in the Crookstown-Macroom area where there is a strong farming community. I am aware of the serious fodder issue and the great distress of farm families who see livestock starving. It is an issue many colleagues raised. Senators Healy Eames, Mullen, Mooney, Mullins, Comiskey, Leyden, Ó Clochartaigh, Ó Domhnaill and White also raised the issue. Senator O'Donovan called for an amendment to the Order of Business. While I have sympathy for the proposal, I cannot accept it. I have put in a call and cannot get the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to attend the House today. As there has been such concern, I will read a statement from the Minister as to what has been going on. The matter was also raised at the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine which is writing to the Minister for an urgent response and will follow the matter up strenuously in the coming days. The statement reads:

Over the past number of days the Minister Coveney and Department officials have spoken to members of the pillar banks and representatives of a number of co-ops, including Glanbia, Dairygold and Lakeland. The Minister spoke individually to representatives from the main banks operating in the sector - Ulster Bank, AIB and Bank of Ireland.
Ulster Bank:
Last autumn made available a €15 million "weather fund" to farmers to be drawn down as short term loans in recognition of the bad weather last summer. Their preference is that farmers would take down lower interest short-term loans in preference to more expensive overdraft facilities. More recently they have released €10 million in response to the crisis in Northern Ireland, this fund however is also available for farmers in the Republic of Ireland.
AIB:
They have put a significant number of personnel in place to deal with the issues facing farmers on the ground and the increased demand for overdraft and short-term facilities. AIB are encouraging farmers to come forward to talk to them about their individual circumstances. They are insistent that farmers will get a positive response as they see this [as many colleagues described it] as a short term financing issue in a year when prices for milk and meat in particular will remain strong.
Bank of Ireland:
Like the other banks they are encouraging farmers to come and talk to them and they are anxious to make credit facilities available to the farming community. Some of the figures worth noting from the bank include:
Only 65% of existing overdraft facilities are being currently used across their portfolio of farming customers.
While there has been a 15% increase in requests for increased overdraft facilities by farmers this is much less than the increases requested by other small business sectors.
While there has been an increase in demand for short term loans it has not been dramatic.
All three banks were insistent that they view farming and farmers as customers to be facilitated in the current fodder crisis with regard to access to credit facilities in form of overdrafts and short term loans. [The Minister] will be meeting the banks in person next week and will continue the conversation with them.
Co-Ops:
With regard to the Co-Ops that were spoken to a number of significant initiatives are apparent [and many colleagues recognise that this is not just an issue that concerns banks but also a matter for farming solidarity, for the IFA to intervene and for co-ops and merchants to intervene].
Over €25 million in additional credit facilities have been made available to farmers.
In the specific case of Dairygold who are responding to these exceptional circumstances they are making interest free credit available for purchases of ruminant feed that are taking place in March and April. They are also importing a large volume of hay from the UK and making it available at cost to farmers in need.

The Minister and Department have been reassured by the conversations with the Co-Ops that they are aware of and are continuing to support their members in recognition of the significant pressure that farmers are under. The Minister and Department will continue to monitor the situation closely on a daily basis and will respond appropriately as the situation develops.

I hope the information provides some assistance and some comfort to colleagues but I am aware it is a distressing situation for many farm families.