Credit Review Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-27
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Robert Troy (FF), Longford-Westmeath

Section 20 is a standard provision, which allows the credit reviewer, if required, to appear before an Oireachtas committee, other than the Committee of Public Accounts, as that is separately provided for under section 19. It specifies that he or she shall not testify before such a committee in relation to any matter that is sub judice , which is a case under judgment, or comment on Government policy.
As the Senator rightly acknowledges, since the Credit Review Office was established in 2010, it has done really good positive work. Thanks to the work of the office, some €86 million of loans has been approved. Those loans have supported viable businesses and farms that may not have been able to continue were it not for the work of the Credit Review Office. Loans were made available to some 78% of cases that were referred to the Credit Review Office. It is only a small percentage that did not benefit. That being said, the Oireachtas has no power to compel an independent financial institution to actually lend money if it does not believe is in its interest to do so or if there is a fear that it might not get it back. A high percentage of cases were successful over the last 16-odd years and I do not envisage that changing.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:33+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-27