Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The purpose of this section is to fix the banks. That is the overriding reason for the legislation. It would be a large gap in the legislation if there were no commitment, as is proposed in this amendment, to contribute to the sustainable social and economic development of the State. It is important that the NAMA board has the statutory imposition to look to the sustainable, social and economic development of the State.

Along with Deputy Higgins, I welcome the fact that the Minister has committed to this. I hope, however, I took it up correctly because I caused panic among the parliamentary reporters yesterday when I welcomed the Minister's excision of the particular paragraph (b) in sections 56 and 57, the muzzling provisions for the chief executive appearing before Oireachtas committees. I then found I was working off the Bill as initiated rather than amended. When I checked the Bill as amended, I found the Minister had not excised them at all yet he had committed to it in my definite hearing.

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