Bank lending and deposits
The Leader replied to concerns about bank lending and deposit levels, saying access to finance remains important, especially with Brexit pressures.
Beidh daoine ag dul go dtí an tsíbín.
Senators Ó Céidigh and Colm Burke raised the issue of the banks tightening lending. As Senator Colm Burke indicated, there now seem to be more deposits than loans. That is a matter of concern. We are double the European average in this regard. I suppose it is a legacy of the past, when the banks gave out too much money. Now there is the threat of Brexit. It is important, as Senator Colm Burke stated, that we hold a group of people in our minds and allow them to access finance, whether for home improvement or home loans. I refer to that squeezed group that cannot get the financial institutions to loan to them and do not otherwise qualify for loans. I agree that we must do something for them and I-----