Vol. 492 No. 2
75 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the main banks are preparing to take a case to the European Court against the unfair treatment by the Irish Government of the Irish League of Credit Unions; the Government's opinion on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13607/98]
I am not aware of any case of unfair competition in favour of the Irish League of Credit Unions being brought to the European Courts. However, in April of this year DG IV, the competition directorate of the European Commission informed the Irish authorities that it had received a complaint concerning the present tax treatment of credit unions and sought information on the matter so that it could assess whether or not this treatment could be perceived as a form of State aid. A reply was sent to DG IV at the end of May in which it was stated that the Irish authorities believe that the benefits enjoyed by credit unions are not sufficient to be regarded as aid within the meaning of Article 92(1) of the EC Treaty.
