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THE CENTRAL BANK should independently investigate how many loan applications by SMEs are refused by Irish banks, the Oireachtas jobs committee has said.
In its report on access to finance for the SME sector published today, the Committee said that it is “concerned” by divergent opinions on the availability of credit between banks and small business people on the ground.
Borrowers have alleged that banks massage approval figures by including approvals that contain unrealistic conditions, and excluding what they term ‘constructive rejections’, where a lender discourages an SME owner from making an application in the first place.
Banks, on the other hand, claim that their approval rates are high and, in many instances, climbing.
The Committee wants the Central Bank to step in and conduct “an independent verification of lending rates across the banking sector”, as well as consider redrawing the criteria for what exactly constitutes a successful application.
Welcome
The Small Firms Association welcomed the report, saying that it is critical that the recommendations are now implemented.
SFA director Patricia Callan said:
“For Irish SMEs, supply of finance is second only to finding more customers as the most pressing issue we are facing. It is critical that the practical recommendations contained in this report are accepted and acted upon immediately. They have the potential to make a real difference to improving SME financing.”
A referendum would put this issue to bed but this government knows they would lose. Irish people should vote on these issues in future not who fixed the potholes.
@Burn Turf: I’d say there a quite a few that notice what’s going on and think we probably should be aligned with others. If Norway and Sweden are dropping neutrality (and they were is a good position to defend their neutrality) then what chance have we if someone wants to use our fair green Isle as an aircraft carrier. Switzerland can defend its neutrality, but no one will touch them thanks to their banks! Let’s not kid ourselves and be blinded by our green tinted glasses. If someone wants us, they will this strategic land of ours.
@Paul Furey: It’s Finland, not Norway. Norway has been in NATO since the beginning, and Finland just joined. But otherwise I’m with you on everything else.
@Burn Turf: Hasn’t it been clearly stated that the governors have no intention atm to join N.A.T.O.?
You are right of course. Daft mistake to make. Thanks
Endless NATO articles….nothing else happening in the world? Seems the journal does not deem young international sporting tragedies as newsworthy.
Yesterday Robbie Keanes old strike partner, Cedric Rousell of Belgium, Coventry and Wolves, heart attack 45.
Today 20 yr old British Ice Hockey prodigy, Alex Graham, represented GB at u18 and U20
@p m: Vaxx. Sssshhhh…..
This begs the question of why was this forum set up in the first place if it was not to promote NATO…we know a commission was set up last year at the Defence Forces all that was disgust at a forum…last year’s commission on DF mentioned many of the recommendations on this forum
@Paul Maguire: Maybe they just lost their bottle.
@Paul Maguire: it was setup to discuss security, or do you prefer to bury your head in the sand ?
Just another box the Irish government want to tick to make them the perfect boys in Europe.
Less protesters and more focused communication on cyber security hopefully happens tomorrow. It’s not all NATO, plenty to discuss to protect our country and neutrality.
Common defence is common sense
@Roj Blake: Has been true since the dawn of man!
@Roj Blake: Not necessarily. Can also drag us into conflicts not of our concern.
Softening us up to accept a decision already made to join in future NATO military adventures.
@Tony Murphy: your source?
@Tony Murphy: utter BS
The Tankies in the Journal comments gutted that with just one day left, we haven’t joined NATO yet.
Keep your hopes up folks, the head Tankie will get the floor tomorrow, He’s bound to bring it up.
@goldiefish72: “Tankie is a pejorative label for communists, particularly Stalinists, who support the authoritarian tendencies of Marxism–Leninism or, more generally, authoritarian states associated with Marxism–Leninism, whether contemporary or historical.” Wikipedia. So we have Stalinists posting here…..must be those Orwell Road bots.
No one wants to be involved in war, but when you have Hitler invading countries for fun or Putin threatening the stability of Europe, of which we are a part of an reliant on, why do we think we can just sit on the fence and say nah, we’re not helping out at all, when we are clearly aligned with one side?
It’s a weak stance in my opinion, especially when we’re allowing US air force to refuel and stop here which makes it make even less sense.
The usual big mouths are out in force. If it can to defending this country, they’d be hiding under the bed
“In order to work, neutrality has to be universally agreed upon” and as with the likes of Sweden, Finland and Switzerland….they are/were in a position to defend their neutrality. As for us……
Let the people decide with a vote
this sounds like a cut price way for Ireland to outsource its defence considering in the context of a Naval force a bunch of fishing boats is all we have. In an air context well there will still be the RAF. Im guessing when we join NATO there’ll be bases set up on the west coast to close the back door into europe. To be fair its a good bit of business. we dont have the money for tanks and leftie cranks on here will blather on about money that should be spent on more worthwhile projects like their dole bonuses, so if we outsource it while formally trading in our sovereignty for a few quid then there’ll be a hullabaloo and then hopefully someone will stage a coup somewhere else and it’ll all die down.
have your say