Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy may feel he is entitled to make a series of assertions before asking a question but that I should only answer the question and leave the assertions unanswered. I am entitled to respond to his assertions. He decided to ask a long-winded question and I will answer it as succinctly as I can within the Orders of the House.

He decried the fact that credit was not being made available to Irish customers of the banking system. The first point I want to make is that we had to stabilise the banking system. He did not support any of the measures which sought to stabilise the banking system.

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