Author Archives: Admin

This afternoon.

Further to talks between the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and the governor of the Central Bank Philip Lane.

And the fact the Central Bank cannot compel banks to give certain levels of compensation to cases after August 2013…

Mr Lane told journalists:

“So the current situation is we have 13,000 cases. Already, €160million has been paid out. We think the vast majority of those cases will be paid out before Christmas.

“However, we continue to make, to press the banks to expand their coverage, to make sure all of those affected are included in their schemes.

“That is the current focus of our work: is to make sure, beyond those 13,000 which, you know, those are in progress, is to make sure yet more are included. So that all of those affected will receive redress and compensation from their banks.

“Our focus is on our work now which is fully committed to protecting consumers. This examination was launched by us to make sure that all of those affected will receive redress and compensation for the harm that they’ve suffered.

“So, right now, we’re fully engaged with our consumer protection mandate which is at the heart of our current work.

“So, already we’ve seen over €160million paid out and that’s only in relation to a fraction of the cases. We are not going to put any limit on the amount paid out.

“It is up to the banks to make fair and generous offers to those affected so that the full scale of the harm is remedied. So I don’t want to put an upper limit, the banks to be as generous as is reasonable given that the harm suffered by those affected in this case.”

At 1.11 in the clip above, one male journalist asked Mr Lane: “Do you have enough powers, do you think?”

But Mr Lane moved to another journalist without answering that specific question.

Meanwhile…

The CEOs for KBC and Bank of Ireland have told RTE News that they will be making a statement shortly.

Earlier: Admonishment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBnWVfyqVHc&feature=youtu.be

On Salon Confidential…

Melanie O’Connor writes:;

This week in the salon a client asks the questions is it ever okay to lie about your age when online dating should have to retire at 65 and should we legalise cannabis?

Come for the chat/blow dry.

Stay for pets on weed.

Salon Confidential on RTÉ2 at 10pm.

Leo Varadkar at the Fine Gael ‘President’s Dinner’ event on Saturday night.

“I’ll never apologise for standing up for people who get up early in morning, who work nights and weekends, who aspire for something better for themselves and their families”.

“It’s their taxes that fund public services and keep our welfare system afloat and they deserve a break. And they know which party is on their side.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the weekend.

*hits snooze*

Leo Varadkar: ‘We’ll never apologise for standing up for people who get up early… they deserve a break’ (Independent.ie)

In fairness.

Eight years ago:

Financial Services Ombudsman Joe Meade has demanded all mortgage lenders be probed to ensure they are honouring agreements allowing people to retain their tracker mortgages.

Mr Meade has demanded the Financial Regulator carry out the probe after he found against a lender that would not allow a couple coming off a fixed-rate mortgage to move back on to a tracker as agreed.

…The ombudsman’s findings are expected to have implications for all lenders, many of whom are welshing on such agreements.

Homeowners who are forced to renegotiate their mortgages are also finding they have to give up their trackers.

If the Financial Regulator forces banks to honour previous commitments to allow people to revert to trackers, it will prove costly for lenders.

…No spokesperson was available from the Financial Regulator yesterday as its staff were on strike.

Irish Independent, November 28, 2009

Good times.

Watchdog urged to investigate banks in tracker row (Charlie Weston, Irish Independent, November 28, 2009)

Earlier: Admonishment

Clockwise from top left: Supt Eugene McGovern; Garda Keith Harrison, Marissa Simms; Chief Supt Terry McGinn; Judge Peter Charleton

This morning.

At Dublin Castle.

After a week’s break, the Disclosures Tribunal, in respect of Garda Keith Harrison, will resume as four witnesses are recalled to give further evidence in light of new documentation which came to light in recent weeks.

The witnesses being recalled today are Chief Superintendent Terry McGinn; Gerry Hone, of Tusla; retired Chief Superintendent James Sheridan and Superintendent Eugene McGovern.

Readers will recall Garda Harrison claims his working life has been difficult since he raised concerns about a garda being involved in the distribution of drugs in Athlone in 2008, and subsequently arrested the same garda for drink-driving in 2009.

It is his contention that the gardai manipulated domestic incidents involving him and his partner Marissa Simms and this resulted in a referral being made to Tusla in February 2014.

This has been rejected by both An Garda Siochana and Tusla.

The decision to make a referral in respect of Garda Harrison to Tusla was made during a meeting on October 8, 2013 about a statement made by Ms Simms on October 6, 2013, following a row between her and Garda Harrison on September 28, 2013.

The tribunal has already heard that, after the meeting on October 8, 2013, Chief Supt Terry McGinn phoned the then Assistant Commissioner Kieran Kenny to keep him informed of events.

The four witnesses have been recalled today following the late emergence of documents which refer to minutes of separate meetings involving senior gardai.

The first is dated November 5, 2013, and refers to a regional divisional meeting held in Dundalk chaired by the then Assistant Commissioner Kieran Kenny.

Chief Supt McGinn and retired Chief Supt Sheridan were at this meeting.

In one line of the minutes, it states that Chief Superintendent McGinn updated the meeting on “the investigation concerning Garda Keith Harrison”.

The tribunal heard that the minutes don’t explicitly refer to any HSE referral.

The second document includes another minute relating to a divisional accountability meeting at Letterkenny Garda Station on November 29, 2013 at 10am.

Garda Keith Harrison isn’t mentioned in the minute but it’s recorded that Gerry Hone, from the HSE, addressed the meeting in relation to HSE referrals.

Chief Supt McGinn and Supt McGovern attended that meeting.

Readers will recall it was Supt McGovern who referred matters concerning Garda Harrison and Ms Simms to Gerry Hone, of Tusla, on October 10, 2013.

Previously: ‘You Don’t Just Stand Back And Do Nothing’

Anon writes:

I saw people yet again being enraged by something unforgiveable [Senator] Rónán Mullen said (this time his comments about Savita), and yet again no conversation about the fact that loads of people could be voting against him, but aren’t registered.

So I made this flowchart (above) and web page (below with sources and links)

Ronan Mullen Flowchart