§ Mr. GINNELLWill the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) state whether, seeing from Irish statistics that money lending is one of the most flourishing industries in Ireland, and that the prosperity of banks is often in inverse ratio to that of the people for whom they cater, lie has considered the possibility of developing and extending 316 throughout the whole country any system of co-operative credit societies or land banks whereby much of the money now wasted in interest could be saved to the people for their immediate benefit, and Irish capitalists would be gradually induced to transfer their investments from foreign to Irish projects?
§ The ATTORNEY-GENERAL for IRELAND (Mr. Cherry)The Department are fully alive to the advantages of co-operative credit societies, and they have had for some time a scheme in operation under which they give loans to such societies in suitable cases. The revision of this scheme is at present under consideration.