Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

The Minister will be aware there is a great deal of shock and uncertainty among employees in the Quinn Group. All of them support the work of the Financial Regulator and administrators. What is the Government's approach to the protection of employment in the group?

Two weeks ago, newspapers reported the chairperson-designate of the State-owned Anglo Irish Bank on the €2.8 billion debt owed by Mr. Quinn and his family to the bank. The Minister has a relationship agreement with the bank. Will he clarify if he was consulted about those proposals by the bank?

If a State bank is, in effect, acquiring an insurance company, do issues arise regarding competition or EU regulation? In particular, in the context of the relationship agreement, has the Minister been advised by the chairman of Anglo Irish Bank about the proposals that were reported in the media about two weekends ago? That is all we need. The lights have gone out.

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