Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Brown and his team. I wish to start with his commitment to the market. I do not doubt his personal commitment or that of his team, but it is disconcerting for staff, some customers and the wider stakeholders in the economy to see comments in the British media which describe Ulster Bank as the fly in George Osborne’s ointment, to see that the British Prime Minister wants RBS to be returned to the private sector by the next general election in Britain in 2015 and to see Mr. Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, argue for a slightly different timescale. A lot of this is outside Mr. Brown’s control, given that it is part of a bigger macro issue, but will he outline his take on the situation? When he says he is committed to the Irish market, I believe that to be the case personally, but how sure can we be of that commitment?