Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Dr. Ehnts. I listened to his comments and I have a few questions. When the economic crash came we were all dumbstruck and we got a great deal of advice, some of it conflicting, from many quarters as to what should be done. Even though the advice was conflicting, on the one hand, there was an easy option and on the other hand, there was a different option, but, unfortunately, there was only one option as far this country was concerned. We had to go the hard route because we did not have the required credibility or credit rating and we were overborrowed. We had an overhanging cantilever debt and, as result of that, we had to cut our cloth according the measure. What would Dr. Ehnts have advised at that time and in the event of a similar situation arising again? People would tell me that is hypothesizing but a little hypothesis is no harm now and again in order that we would know where we should go, what we should do and how we should do it.