Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I join Deputy Kenny in objecting to the arrangements the Government proposes for this debate. There should be an opportunity for questions to the Minister and answers from him on this issue before the debate is concluded. This debate should not conclude today. At the very least it should continue tomorrow. An opportunity should be given to every Member of this House who wants to contribute to this debate to do so. The arrangements proposed will allow for two speakers from the Labour Party in addition to our spokesperson to contribute to this debate.

The Taoiseach should be here, Thursday or not. This is a very different Thursday because of what is before us. This sum of €7 billion is the single biggest expenditure of public money this House has ever been asked to consider. It is four times what the two banks concerned together were worth at the close of business yesterday evening. It is five times the amount of money the Government wants to raise in the proposed pension levy. It is 1,000 times the amount it would take to keep teaching assistants in classrooms for children with special needs, who are being deprived of that.

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