Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Taoiseach answered fewer of my questions than usual. For example, there is no clarity in the statement issued yesterday. Can the Taoiseach say when the IPO will take place? Precisely how much of the company will be disposed of? What proportion of the pension deficit will be cleared? If his argument is that he envisages a further demand for finance, in those circumstances will not his share and the share of the ESOT be reduced? Are his arguments not the exact arguments we heard at the time of the Eircom takeover? Surely, colleagues in the House can recall it so short a time ago. The then Minister, Senator O'Rourke, was just short of doing a Molly Malone on it in O'Connell Street, going up and down with her wheelbarrow, inviting anyone to come along and buy the shares, and we see what happened. We see what has happened to our telecommunications infrastructure and to the roll-out of broadband where Ireland has slipped from second place in the league table to the bottom.

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