David Norris (Independent)

Following on from what Senator Hannigan said about maintaining the dignity of the House and having some legislation and what Senator O'Malley said about the expenses of the European Parliament, does the Leader believe that by his remarks in recent days he has brought the Seanad into disrepute? I would like him to clarify the situation. The newspapers certainly have taken up a situation where he appears to be saying he finds it difficult to get by with four children on €65,000 a year. I find this astonishing and I was very ashamed when I heard it. I do not know how anyone could make a provocative statement such as that, if it was made, in the face of the fact people are losing their jobs, are living on the minimum wage of €8.60 per hour and cannot pay their mortgages. I have just done my income tax, my income is down by half, but I simply could not make a statement like that. I used the good times to pay off my bills and I am in a very fortunate position. I certainly would not rub the noses of the public in this. It is catastrophically unwise and brings the House into disrepute. I hope Senator Cassidy can clarify this.

Senator O'Toole raised the question of the disposal of Bank of Ireland's art collection. It is an astonishing mistake. Today, I received a catalogue of the sale containing some great works by some of our most distinguished artists. These are to be sold off for €1 million or €2 million which is a drop in the ocean. These works will be lost when they should belong to the people. As a result of the auction, they might very well end up in the private collections of those who put the skids under our economy. I believe these works, which include some by Louis le Brocquy and Maurice MacGonigal, should be given to the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

It was just confirmed to me that €7.9 billion of senior bonds was redeemed by Anglo Irish Bank with a loan from the European Central Bank on 30 September. I do not believe the House was aware of this transaction. We need to monitor continually the draining of funds into this awful black hole of a failed bank.