Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Deputy Ross's description of what happened on the night of the bank guarantee is very colourful and it may have been a cabal. However, we have an independent Civil Service, an independence I respect. It is not right to come into the House and accuse an independent civil servant of being part of a cabal. The Government in office at the time took a political decision for which it was politically responsible. Certain Members voted in favour of that decision in the House - others voted against it - for which they will have to take political responsibility. Until such time as we change our system we will have an independent Civil Service which has been a cornerstone of the way we do business in this country and we will abandon it at our peril. However unpopular it may be today or any other day for me to defend the independence of the Civil Service, I will continue to do so. The Government nominated a senior civil servant for appointment to the European Court of Auditors and he presented to the budgetary committee yesterday. I did not follow the exchanges, but I understand that, by and large, the reaction was positive.

See this speech in context