Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I will have to check that out. I do not know what it is about.

On the other matter raised by Deputy Gilmore, the process will be finalised next Friday with the heads of state and government. There will be formal adoption of the proposal agreed by the Eurogroup ministers earlier this week. It is subject to parliamentary approval. There will be a debate. We hope to have the Bill before Government next week and will probably bring it to the House the following week, if that can be agreed. We will deal with it in the normal way with a full debate.

People will know from statements issued by the finance ministers and previous statements on 11 April by the heads of state and government as to the nature of this support. It is upon request of the Greek Government and it is important to emphasise that these are bilateral loans to be managed by the Commission pulling the issue together using the European Central Bank as the paying agent. A strong conditionality attaches.

This constitutes an international agreement and one of our parliamentary procedures is to append the international agreement to the Schedule of any Bill brought forward. That is currently being finalised by the Commission officials based on the discussions which have taken place between the ECB, the Commission, the IMF and the Greek Government. We must await that as part of our legislative preparation for consideration in the House. It is a technical issue but it must be taken into account. That is the full information I can give to the House at this point.

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