Mr. Dermot Gleeson:

I accept that, Deputy. I mean, I have had a commitment in the past to education in various ways and I think it's the answer to most of the problems of the world, but I think there is, given that you're focusing on it, I think there is a tendency, not in this room but outside, to think that the banks brought down the country and that there was nothing else involved. And that was referred to this day one fortnight ago, just 14 days ago, by Governor Honohan in a speech that he made in Paris about facts and myths of the Irish banking crisis, and myth number two was, "It is chiefly the bank guarantee that brought about the nature of fiscal austerity and generally crippled the Irish economy." That's a myth, he says. He says €60 billion into the banks, €20 billion will be paid back, but the deficit that was occasioned by the mis-matching Government revenue and expenditure is €30 billion a year, something between 100 and two ... now, let's be clear: I had nothing to do with that. I am responsible-----