Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

No. I am sorry. The amendments were considered during the debate on the legislation. We have had that debate. The EU is not legislating for this House. I am glad to say the EU has been accommodating in respect of the Irish requirements. It has ensured that the scheme we have devised will enable us to put in place a State guarantee. Such a guarantee is critical to the continuing liquidity of the Irish banking system, in difficult circumstances which have not gone away. This House has a responsibility to bring certainty and clarity to that matter as quickly as possible, in line with the wish of this House expressed last week. That is the situation.

The motion to be considered by this House on Friday will relate to the scheme as approved and agreed by the Minister, on behalf of the Government, the Commissioner and the officials working on it. The details of the scheme will be laid before the House as an act of further accountability. Under the legislation that was passed last week, the Minister is authorised to devise and conclude such a scheme. That is all provided for. There is a legal basis for all of this. Detailed arrangements for how the debate will be conducted can be worked out. It is obvious that people will give their views on the scheme, in the first instance. In an effort to be accommodating, the Minister is making himself available for a question and answer session. He will listen to everyone's point of view. We will have from 10.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday to go through it. That is eminently sensible and fair.

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