Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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90. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will report on his engagement with credit unions in County Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17173/21]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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101. To ask the Minister for Finance the status of his engagement with the credit unions. [17142/21]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 101 together.

The Government welcomes the important work credit unions are doing to support communities throughout Ireland at this difficult time and recognises the key role that credit unions play in the delivery of financial services in local communities across Ireland. The Minister of State in my Department, Sean Fleming TD, has credit unions as part of his remit.

The Government engages intensively with the credit union sector. I met all of the credit union representative bodies in September 2020, the third such meeting during 2020. In addition, Minister of State Fleming met the main representative bodies in January 2021 and again in March 2021. Minister of State Fleming has also met with a large number of individual credit unions, including Tullamore Credit Union, and groups of credit unions since his appointment in July 2020.

In addition to the above engagements, both I and Minister Fleming met with the Credit Union Advisory Committee (CUAC) in December 2020. Minister of State Fleming has separately met with CUAC and has also recently met the Registrar of Credit Unions.

Officials within my Department are also in ongoing and regular contact with sector stakeholders.