18 Oct 2012 It is a great pleasure to be here with you today to celebrate International Credit Unions Day. And it is a particular pleasure to be here alongside Simon Hughes and Roy [Lord] Kennedy. The all-party group works very well across the parties and credit unions do have great goodwill right across the House. Matters connected to debt – and savings – and related to Credit Unions, are much in discussion at the moment, both over the road and in society at large. From coping mechanisms to deal with the cost of living and the development of payday loans, through the gaps left by our traditional banks and unwelcome changes to our high streets with the proliferation of Money Shops and the like, to the potential for jamjar accounts and the huge role that can be played by volunteers and the voluntary sector in what I will dare to call our Big Society. Today I pay especial tribute to all who are involved in the Credit Union movement whether as staff or volunteers. That’s a funny word, “mo