Credit Union Development Association (CUDA)

Lobbying Organisation Credit Union Development Association

Date published 20 May, 2022

Relevant Matter Legislation

Public Policy Area Banking and Financial Institutions

Period 1 Jan, 2022 to 30 Apr, 2022

Specific Details Required changes to Credit Union related legislation to allow them collaborate across common bonds, to widen membership criteria and introduce their members to State Savings schemes

Intended results Bring about changes to the Credit Union legislation to enable credit unions to support filling the void, in particular being created by banks withdrawing from the Irish market and to ensure a national solution can be a possibility by permitting credit unions to collaborate on lending opportunities.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Kevin Johnson CEO

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Email (1)

Inform of further improvements required to existing credit union legislation that will allow modernisation of the common bond, that will both preserve the many benefits of the common bond while also support credit unions of all sizes to benefit credit union members as both the owners and consumers. These amendments will be in the form of allowing greater collaboration and choice when developing credit products and offerings to consumers such as sharing large community project loans amongst a number of credit union participants (“loan sharing”), and the ability to offer a full range of services to consumers, irrespective of the fact that a credit union may not have that product e.g. mortgages, by introducing the member to a colleague credit union that does offer the product or service (“loan introduction”). These are standard practices in other mature jurisdictions such as Canada.

Virtual Meeting (1)

To coincide with email to Steven Matthews TD. Details above.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Steven Matthews TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

John McGuinness TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Neale Richmond TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Pat Casey Senator (Seanad)

Aidan Davitt Senator (Seanad)