Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2021 second stage debate

Posted on: 04 Nov 2021

Deputy Marian Harkin led the debate in the Dáil yesterday (Wednesday 3 November) on the Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2021, legislation which was written and introduced by her. The text of the full debate can be read at https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2021-11-03/7/, and the speech of Minister Seán Fleming, bears close reading. It is an indication of his thinking generally and a statement of his intention to bring forward his own draft proposals shortly. 

The Minister agreed that the government would allow the Bill to proceed to Committee, but critically added by way of amendment the caveat that this would not happen for another nine months, which allowing for a summer recess, is a calendar year. The Bill was passed by 66 votes for and 60 votes against. 

The government voted for the Bill as amended and the opposition, including the Bill's sponsor Deputy Harkin, voted against. Effectively the government in voting 'for' the Bill was voting to put it in limbo for nine months, while Deputy Harkin and fifty nine others voted against the Bill, as a protest at the freezing of the Bill until Autumn 2022. The detail of how TDs voted is here.