Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

In the course of her address Professor Hardiman stated: "Banks engaged in very risky lending practices not least because their own shareholders put pressure on the directors to match the performance of the most profitable institutions, which were also the most risky." If there is no legal restriction on profiteering, for example, in the home building industry, and profit is a key driver of private banks and developers and those who run them, how fair is good governance in that situation? Does profit maximisation drive out good governance?