It's worth lobbying your TDs and Senators on the Central Bank bill and interest rates

Brendan Burgess

Brendan Burgess

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Hi folks

The main banks will be in before the Oireachtas Finance Committee in the coming weeks.

The topic of mortgage rates will come up I am sure.

The Committee is also doing pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill.

At the last meeting which the Fair Mortgage Rates Campaign presented at, no FG TD and no Independent Alliance TD showed up. (Senator Paddy Burke and Senator Kieran O'Donnell did attend and engage with the presentation.) It would be a good idea to lobby your TDs and Senators and suggest that they show up. Here is the full list of the Committee, but any TD or Senator is allowed attend and speak.

Brendan

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach - Membership


Chairman: John McGuinness

Vice Chairman: tbc

Member Party
Deputies:
Peter Burke Fine Gael
Michael D’Arcy Fine Gael
Pearse Doherty Sinn Féin
Michael McGrath Fianna Fáil
Paul Murphy AAA-PBP
Seán Sherlock Labour

Senators:
Paddy Burke Fine Gael
Rose Conway-Walsh Sinn Féin
Gerry Horkan Fianna Fáil
Kieran O’Donnell Fine Gael
 
Hi Brendan you are absolutely right .

I have been in touch with Michael McGrath and Simon Coveney and although Simon did not get back to me Michael did. He seems to be more interested in the subject than Simon just a personal observation.

Anyways one or two things that I have spoken to Michael about on email got mentioned in the Committee meeting with TSB by Michael in questions so either its a coincidence or they do listen to the electorate.
 
Well done Paul.

There is no doubt that they do listen to whoever contacts them.

I had sent a briefing on BoI to a few of the TDs and Senators including Kieran O'Donnell from Limerick. How did he spend his 10 minutes? Did he ask about Boucher's admission that they keep the SVR at 4.5% to force people to fix? Did he ask about the tracker review programme and the fact that 1,800 staff felt that they had been conned off their trackers? Did he ask about the Central Bank's mortgage restrictions? No,no,no. He spent the ten minutes speaking about the withdrawal of a teller from the Caherdavin Branch of BoI and would Richie not consider putting a teller back there once a week for the 4% of customers who prefer to transact across the counter rather than use ATMs or online banking. I am sure he was able to send a letter to his 60 or so elderly constituents on this issue.

Brendan
 
just to echo on what paul said above, i also contacted michael mcgrath about the rates issue and he has been very helpful in the matter and raised a question yesterday for us
 
I have contacted Maria Bailey (FG) on this again a few weeks ago. I felt she was the 'correct demographic' to have either family or friends directly impacted by it so may be more sympathetic to the discussion. I did get a reply, but it was disappointing. I am going to follow up again on it today.

Previously I had contacted Eamonn Gilmore (LAB), Mary Mitchell-O'Connor (FG), Richard Boyd Barrett (PBP) and Sean Barrett (FG) on it. Eamonn gave me a stock answer that I expected. Mary called me and discussed the matter with me. She also made a decent contribution to the discussions in the Dail at the time. Richard never responded.

I do believe that this is one that Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein in particular are pushing, and there will be limited joy outside of these groups. Brian Hayes has been vocal on the matter in Europe, but not translating to much from his party here.
 
Brendan Burgess said:
Well done Paul.

There is no doubt that they do listen to whoever contacts them.

I had sent a briefing on BoI to a few of the TDs and Senators including Kieran O'Donnell from Limerick. How did he spend his 10 minutes? Did he ask about Boucher's admission that they keep the SVR at 4.5% to force people to fix? Did he ask about the tracker review programme and the fact that 1,800 staff felt that they had been conned off their trackers? Did he ask about the Central Bank's mortgage restrictions? No,no,no. He spent the ten minutes speaking about the withdrawal of a teller from the Caherdavin Branch of BoI and would Richie not consider putting a teller back there once a week for the 4% of customers who prefer to transact across the counter rather than use ATMs or online banking. I am sure he was able to send a letter to his 60 or so elderly constituents on this issue.

Brendan
Click to expand...
I emailed 6 and got one reply. Brendan 1800 staff are still waiting for the review findings. You say 1800 felt they had been conned, do you have an update on those 1800 staff?
 
gnf_ireland said:
Brian Hayes has been vocal on the matter in Europe, but not translating to much from his party here.
Click to expand...

Yes, he has done a good job. And it is a European issue given the ECB interest rate policy is not being passed through to borrowers.

It's worth contacting Brian to keep him interested and to encourage some of his party's TDs to get involved.

Brendan
 
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