Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)

It should be acknowledged by those of us on the other side.

The people have been asked to make some heavy sacrifices as a result of the referendum. The Taoiseach has asked the people to make them and he has successfully persuaded them to do so. This has been done for the cause of European stability. As others have suggested, it is not unreasonable to ask that Europe should respond to this and that it should give us fair treatment in return. Like all Members, I welcome the Taoiseach's forthrightness in ringing the German Chancellor and stating that, whether at a political level or otherwise, we want a bank deal on the agenda. We should see more of that and we should have seen more of it before now.

I welcome the decision of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar, to state that any deal given to Spain as part of the coming bailout, which is inevitable, should not be on more favourable terms than those given to Ireland, and, if they are more favourable, then we should benefit from them retrospectively.

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