Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The thing was sprung on us, shock and awe. It was the most extraordinary story in my lifetime that I woke up to that morning. So, no, we didn't have a refined alternative. We had to, there and then, react to the proposals being brought forward and all I can say to you is that I think - and it's very easy be wise in hindsight - I think that if I had been walking through the streets of Dublin and we had Irish citizens on the streets trying to withdraw their money from Northern Rock, I think I would have gone back to the Department and said, "What in the name of God is going on here? Shouldn't we have a look under the bonnet of the other banks?" And that was 11 months, almost 12 months, earlier. So we might have had a refined alternative because I heard Mr. Cardiff say to you that there were prominent figures in the financial sector making representations about a guarantee and so on. So I think you know very well, whether it's a good practice or not, Deputy McGrath, that Leader's Questions tend to be prompted by the issue of the day. However, on construction, we did raise it, and we did raise it consistently in all of the particular instruments that were open to us from the Private Members' Bill in terms of trying to cap the price of development land-----