Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

It is important to point out in response to Deputy Gilmore's question about identifying the bad debt provision that all bad debts are provided for in the accounts. Deputy Gilmore is asking me to predict what will be the performance of individual loans, be they residential or commercial mortgages. That cannot be predicted in the here and now. The suggestion is being made that provision is made for bad debts before they become such. We must be careful and point out, in the interests of maintaining confidence and providing an accurate picture of the current situation, that where debts become bad, provision is made for them.

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