Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

We had addressed only a handful of amendments to the Central Bank Reform Bill by 10 p.m. last night. Substantial amendments have been put forward by Opposition Members in this Chamber and there will not be an opportunity to address those if the guillotine applies to the debate on the Bill as the Government proposes.

Why does the Government continue to deal with the banks and the financial institutions with deference and kid gloves? There is no indication or evidence, following the significant bailout of the banks by the Irish taxpayer, which will be a millstone around the neck of this generation for the rest of our lives and perhaps our children's too, that there is a willingness on the part of the Government to take the banks by the scruff of the neck and deal with them as they should be dealt with in terms of regulation and how they perform in regard to meeting the needs of society and of their customer base.

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