Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Last week a number of Senators from the Government side and I raised the issue of mortgage variable interest rates and there seems to be broad agreement among colleagues across the House that mortgage holders are being ripped off. I have raised this time and again here in the House. According to the comparison made by my colleague, Deputy Michael McGrath in the Dáil, the variable rates are as follows: Bank of Ireland, 4.5%; Danske Bank, 4.95%, EBS, 4.33%; Permanent TSB, 4.5%; Ulster Bank, 4.3%; and AIB, which is practically a State-owned bank, 4.15% - one of the lower ones. Those are merely the standard rates and do not take into account loan-to-value ratios. The banks are borrowing at wholesale rates of between 1% and 1.5%, taking into account their own costs, and the ECB base rate is the lowest ever. There is no justification whatsoever for banks to continue to charge these rates. There will be an increase in the ECB rate over the next 12 to 18 months and the banks will then further increase their variable mortgage rate. We all know that will happen.

Senator Mullins and others raise the matter last week also and decried the fact that the banks are charging these rates, but I want to know what is being done about it. According to my party's research, the Economic Management Council of the Government, made up of the four main Ministers or sub-Cabinet, has not met the banks since 2012. I want to know what, if anything, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, the Taoiseach or the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, is doing about even putting forward the view of Government.

In Britain, there is a treating customers fairly charter, which we could take, transpose and place on a legal footing here in Ireland, particularly in banks in which we still have a state, such as AIB, Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB.Although there are public interest directors on the boards of those banks, the Government is totally silent as 300,000 variable mortgage rate customers are being overcharged and ripped off by Irish banks and foreign banks in this country, which are charging extortionate rates. This is without even getting into the sub-prime sector.

This matter must be cleared up and while I agreed with colleagues on the other side of the House who raised this matter last week and the week before, nothing further has happened. Fianna Fáil has tabled a Private Members' motion in the Dáil on this very matter that asks what the Government is doing. Members can provide an opportunity here today by bringing in either the Minister for Finance or the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Harris, both of whom are decent attendees to this Chamber. I propose formally an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minister for Finance should come to the House to explain what is the Government's position on the variable mortgage rates being charged to Irish customers.

I ask the Leader that on the return of Members after the Easter break, time be set aside for the issues of Government procurement and tendering. I have published a Bill that I intend to introduce as well but I make this request in the context of what I understand today regarding the 10% of bus routes in Dublin that Dublin Bus intends to put out for privatisation. Even if one leaves aside whatever is one's view of that proposal, is the Leader aware that only companies with a turnover of €30 million can pitch for these routes? This kicks every Irish company out the gap, as they will not even be able to tender for this business. This is what is being done wholesale across all different sectors-----