John Whelan (Labour)

I extend the sympathy of the House to the family of the late Jim Stynes, a giant of a man on and off the field. It is appropriate that he is being afforded a state funeral in Melbourne. We can look to him as an excellent role model.

However, the person who most concerns me this morning is not a role model. The chief executive of Bank of Ireland drew down a staggering €831,000 in payments last year. This is not only absurd but is also obscene at a time when the country is going through a recession. I cannot understand how the Minister for Finance, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste allowed this to happen.