Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I will need to write to the Deputy on that matter and I undertake to do so. Giving a precise cash value on a guarantee, which is a contingent exposure, is a very difficult exercise, as, I am sure, the Deputy is aware, and would require evaluation, but I am sure an approximate figure can be given. As the Deputy knows, this bank is wholly owned by the taxpayer and we have a duty to ensure the bank can continue in the ordinary course of its business to transact the amount of business it is permitted to transact.

See this speech in context