Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

No. The Minister should read French literature in some detail. People at the G20 recognised that the availability of offshore mechanisms and tax havens have rendered the supervision and regulation of banking, in this country and throughout the world, very difficult.

Why is the Minister giving specific recognition to prohibition in any applicable law without being able to tell us if he, his officials and the Attorney General have given due consideration, on behalf of the Irish taxpayers, to the issue of avoidance? I refer to avoidance of disclosure and accountability by whole parts of bank empires and people who are the subject of the distressed loans. This is a simple question and I would like an answer.

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