Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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What the Minister is now saying is that until such time as the Exchequer can afford to fully pay back that €2.2 billion, the FEMPI legislation remains on the Statute Book. In effect what the Minister is saying is that in the course of the three year period, if we get to €900 million, a sum of €1.3 billion still remains to be met beyond 2018. If we are lucky enough to be able to return that to the public sector in another three or four years, it means paying a sum of between €300 million or €400 million per annum. The Minister is saying the FEMPI legislation must remain on the Statute Book for a further four years after the end of the Lansdowne Road agreement. When the members of the Government go canvassing next spring, will they be telling the country there is a financial emergency which will continue for another six to eight years?