Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The meeting organised by Deputy Costello and Senator Black yesterday was really powerful. It is astonishing to see what we are continuing to witness each day. We are witnessing genocide. Like the previous speaker, I entirely endorse the Government's call for a ceasefire, but we have to do more because, as I pointed out yesterday, there are no consequences for Israel. How can that possibly be? If we can support sanctions against Russia, why can we not call for sanctions against Israel when it is engaged in the genocide of a population? Let no one doubt that is what is happening. I also make the point that there is not an equality of blame across Palestine and Israel because, as everyone here knows, Israel is an occupying power. As everyone here also knows, Israel is an apartheid state. It is not important whether that is my opinion or not but it is the opinion of the UN special rapporteur, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and 450 separate NGOs. For the life of me, I cannot accept it when the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, says that it is not helpful to use the term "apartheid". It is factual to use the term "apartheid". If there is one thing that all of us can do, it is to always refer to Israel as the apartheid state of Israel because that is now beyond doubt unless all of those 450 NGOs are wrong. I really hope that we do not just support the Government's call for an immediate ceasefire, which I acknowledge is a very good call to make, but that we also good further. We have the means to go further, particularly through Senator Black's Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018.

I will raise a few other things in the minute and 20 seconds I have left. I thank the Deputy Leader. I raised the issue of FitzMac, a company that was in severe debt because of the Department of Education's refusal to pay a debt of €700,000. That debt has come to down to €250,000 and I have no doubt the office of the Leader was instrumental in that. I thank her very much. That is a company that will continue in business and we are very grateful for that.

What I want to talk about today is the shocking issue of a business in Cork, which I will not name, although I suspect people may know which business it is, that had its normal loan transferred from AIB to one of the vulture funds, at which point a demand for payment of €2 million issued. Senator Lombard knows exactly what I am talking about. I met the owner at the weekend and he told me a tale of absolute horror. There was no communication from the vulture fund concerned. When the owner kept asking for representatives to come down to meet him, they came down bringing an auctioneer and legal people with them. As he was trying to negotiate the debt, the auctioneer was talking about changing rooms and doing this, that and the other. That was an incredible level of intimidation. I beg the Cathaoirleach for 30 seconds' indulgence while I say that this has all happened because these loans were allowed to be sold off to vulture funds. The most worrying thing is that the owner has told me that a host of businesses have contacted him to say they are in exactly the same position. Vulture funds are being let get away with murder and are putting good people out of business. This all goes back to when the vulture funds were let into the country after the great crash. It is a fundamental issue for small businesses and we need a debate on the matter.