Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

With the clock continuing to tick the opportunity to address this Bill and its content with the care that is required is slipping away. I need clarification that it is not intended to guillotine this Bill tonight, that we will have a continuing opportunity tomorrow to address the detail of this Bill and that all the required time for full questioning, analysis of the Bill and amendments to be presented, if same are required, will be allowed in the processing of this legislation, particularly Committee Stage. It is critically important that is not curtailed in any way. I want those assurances. The House deserves those assurances. Every elected Member of every opinion represented on the floor of this Chamber has waited with patience, hour after hour here this evening, and still we do not have sight of the Government's proposed legislation. It is very important that we recognise, as I said earlier this evening, that this is likely to be one of the most important, if not the most important, pieces of legislation to present before this Dáil in its history and it is a requirement on each of us that we employ the maximum care in its passage as its out-working and the effect it may have in the future cannot be told at this point in time.

We are messengers of the people, as Dáil Deputies, and it is important that it is understood that many people are watching the affairs here this evening with incredulity, some of whom have been victims of the worst excesses by the very banking institutions we are here to address. It is very important that we adopt maximum care and that there is a clear understanding by everyone of the real purpose and intent of this particular legislation and that that is carefully explained. We have seen time and again the worst excesses of the banking institutions——

See this speech in context