John Kelly (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the unfair treatment of Permanent TSB customers. The reductions in variable mortgage interest rates have not been passed on to its customers. I call on the Leader to invite the Minister for Finance to the House to tell us what progress he is making on the matter. Some 320,000 people are affected by this. Mr. Brian Hayes, MEP, has already said on the record that this should be investigated. It is outrageous that when mortgage interest rates go down the bank can decide not to pass it on to its customers, but when mortgage interest rates increase that becomes effective from the following day.

Second, can we invite the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to the House to address a range of problematic farming issues? The issue of the young old farmers has not been resolved. The Department would probably consider them to be old young farmers. These are young farmers who have put big investments into their farms without any State support. There is also the problematic issue of digital mapping in rural areas. In some cases, the digital mapping shows rocky areas on the maps and farmers are being penalised as a result, yet if the inspectors arrive to inspect the area there are sheep grazing on it. If the farmers decide to appeal the decisions made by the Department, they could wait 12 months to get their single farm payment. That is wrong. It is a rural Ireland issue and it is important that the Minister come to the House to deal with these matters.