Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thanked Deputy Ross for his contribution a number of weeks ago when he made this suggestion. I can tell him the Minister for Finance is in direct discussions with the pensions industry about the proposition he made. Whatever comes of those discussions will be reported to the House and to him. The suggestion was helpful.

In respect of the matter of a debt for equity swap, we need to be careful about the responses we give on something like this. A more appropriate forum might be to have a detailed discussion at the finance committee on the background, the current situation and what the consequences of a number of propositions such as this might be.

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