Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Moran and his colleagues. I take the opportunity to commend him for the work he has done to date, but I must admit that I am somewhat intrigued as to why he is leaving the Department of Finance. I suspect many others feel the same way. I was trying to think of an analogy for what is happening and the one I have come up with is that it is similar to going to the cinema to see a film and walking out halfway through. That said, it is incumbent on me to note that a great deal of work has been done and the fact that the public finances have stabilised, that there is growth in the economy and that the national debt is decreasing, albeit it very slowly. When one considers the work already done and what has been put in train, it is difficult to understand why Mr. Moran is leaving.

Will Mr. Moran outline the current position of AIB, Permanent TSB and Bank of Ireland in terms of the State's investment in them and their being fully privatised again at some point in the future? In the context of the 2013 statement by the European Union to the effect that it would consider the recapitalisation of the Irish banks, will he comment on the sheer cost of the financial crisis to Ireland? I would like our debt levels to be reduced even further and the issue of bank debt is a central element in that regard. Will Mr. Moran outline his general views on where our dealings with the European Union on the retrospective recapitalisation of Irish banks come into play in this matter?

On SME and mortgage lending, representatives of the banks appeared before the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform in recent weeks. Will Mr. Moran comment on the fact that almost 50% of the so-called sustainable solutions relating to mortgage debt take the form of legal letters, rather than anything more concrete or long-term in nature? There are only approximately 38 mortgage-to-rent schemes, of which AIB and Bank of Ireland have each only approved one. During a recent lecture - I do not know whether it was intended to be the case, but this ended up in the public domain - Professor Morgan Kelly commented on the possible impact SME lending could have on economic recovery. Has the Department had interaction with Professor Kelly?

I acknowledge the great work already done, but a number of issues remain outstanding. Perhaps Mr. Moran might comment on some of them. Will he also indicate why he does not intend to continue the work he has started?