Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

The Deputy might have the luxury of saying we cannot and will not pay, but he should be aware of the consequences. The country is being held together with emergency funding from the ECB. The cost of running the country which presents a real difficulty given the current deficit is also borne by the external support of these agencies.

I agree with the Deputy that the issue remains unresolved, but we are working hard to find a solution. We have seen the resolution of the Greek problem in the past 48 hours following the eurozone meeting. This might well give us the space and time to prioritise the issue and ensure our partners understand its significance. The Deputy should understand the troika has moved position in more recent times. It would be useful if it produced a joint position paper on the issue which would, at least, allow us to know the common position of the troika in whatever negotiations that would follow. However, I share the Deputy's frustration and anxiety to have something done about this. We are working on the issue.

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