Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

We have segregated the assets in a transparent manner. When asked about it in an interview this morning, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, said that discussions have taken place in the last couple of days regarding some of these technical issues. There is a growing acceptance of the validity of the analysis that was done by the Financial Regulator in respect of those assessments. The stress tests undertaken by the Financial Regulator in respect of the banks in this country were perhaps even more rigorous than what was prescribed concerning European banking generally under the EU exercise. All of that is accepted and understood by those with whom we are engaged.

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