John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)

The Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, met representatives of the banks in the past ten days to discuss their obligation to invest in companies. If we consider the principles of any business, the taxpayer has put money into the banks and therefore the banks are obliged to put money into companies which in turn will create jobs. I entirely agree with the Deputy that the €30 billion will have to be clearly benchmarked on a regional basis. As Deputy O'Dea said, it is not about repackaging a loan that was offered two years earlier.

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