Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

This week last year Mr. Seán FitzPatrick resigned as chairman of Anglo Irish Bank after it was revealed he had been moving personal loans off the books of Anglo Irish Bank to another institution and then back again in order to conceal them. At the time, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, expressed his disappointment.

Since then, we have had a high profile Garda raid on the bank and have been told the Director of Corporate Enforcement is doing some kind of an investigation. However, no one has been called to book for what happened in the bank.

Since then, too, Anglo Irish Bank has been nationalised. Some €4 billion of taxpayers' money has been put into it while another €7 billion has been put into AIB and Bank of Ireland. Between them, it comes to €11,000 million of taxpayers' money. It is the largest bank robbery ever, expect on this occasion it is the banks robbing the people.

Despite this, the banks are still not lending to business as they should be. This year, the Taoiseach is marking the anniversary of Mr. FitzPatrick's resignation by cutting the pay of the lowest paid workers in the public service and the welfare allowances to the blind, the disabled and carers. Yesterday, the new Governor of the Central Bank expressed the opinion there should a 9/11 style inquiry set up to examine what happened in the banks, why it was allowed to happen and who had responsibility. Does the Taoiseach accept this call for a 9/11 style inquiry into the banks? If so, will he come back to the House in the new year with the proposals from the Government for the establishment of such an inquiry?

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