Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Ms Day and also Ms Nolan, whom we meet regularly and who keeps us well briefed on what the Commission is doing.

Ms Day talked a little about the importance of engagement with national parliaments and encouraging debate in this regard. From an Irish citizen's perspective, it is always helpful if there is visibility or acceptance that the Commission is doing what we believe is good for us as citizens. To that end, could I have Ms Day's view on how she envisages the Commission re-emerging? Throughout the crisis it was largely sidelined. We witnessed the spectacle of France and Germany taking an exceptionally hands-on approach to dealing with the crisis. However, I do not want to go back over that issue. Does Ms Day envisage the Commission re-emerging and taking its place as it should in the overall architecture of the institutions?

From a strictly Irish point of view, can Ms Day give us some visibility on how quickly she believes banking union will be achieved? Perhaps my next question is a political one that Ms Day will not want to answer. Does she believe the completion of the banking union process will ultimately lead to Ireland being in a position to draw down funding from the ESM associated with the legacy investment in our pillar banks?