Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

Interest rates reflect the cost of money. If the position is that deposit rates are high in Ireland, correspondingly, interest rates will be high in Ireland because banks have to pay interest on foot of the deposit. We need to have a real discussion about the banking problems here and let us move away from the sloganising that has unfortunately taken the place of real debate in many cases.

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