Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his comments and I know he accepts there is a real urgency involved. I hope we are putting real pressure on these organisations and that we will not have to wait two, three or four weeks. We should come to a solution as soon as possible. In all these negotiations, have we ruled out up-front Government funding? A levy will take a long time to be effective. Are the banks involved being pressed to front-load money? Is that the tactic we are employing?

I am also worried about future regulations. If we have to enact legislation, will it be retrospective? If someone presents next week with a problem that arose five years ago, will the legislation cover that? Do we have any idea how long it would take to put this legislation through? That may delay matters even further.

Have all the various industries to which the Minister referred now become engaged? Is it the case that each one of them is engaging positively at this stage? It is important for us to know that.