Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour) | Oireachtas source

People want leaders to lead and want politicians to make decisions. It is important we focus on addressing the mess in which we find ourselves and stop kicking the football around. The Irish people will forgive decisions but they will not forgive a mess being kicked around with no purpose. The people know there is no fantasy government under which everything will be better. They have Sinn Féin for that, a party the people gave only a small number of votes in the last election. People will not thank us for playing politics with their lives.

The following is a solution that we should explore. My anger is directed towards bankers who have retired on enormous pensions. Deputy Maloney is correct that the people would not allow cases to be taken to court. Perhaps we should examine this issue in the context of the Director of Corporate Enforcement list of indictable offences. As regards the bank guarantee, the Companies Act 1963 section 24(7)(vii) refers to a person who provides incorrect, false or misleading information in a statutory declaration under subsection (1). If on the night the bank guarantee was signed off on, when people were tickling the belly of former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, the issue was one of liquidity or capitalisation of the banks and the Minister and head of the Department of Finance were misled on that night then the directors of the banks should be found culpable and negligent in terms of what they have done to this country. Nobody should be paid for bankrupting a bank. Were we not propping them up, the banks would not exist and the pensions of those involved would be lost.

This matter could also be examined in the context of the Consumer Protection Act and Financial Regulations Act. When it comes to ministerial pensions and so on, some Members of this House are here under different terms to those enjoyed by others. Some Members take home more money than others. Let us have some accountability from people in regard to the amount of money they are taking home. Many of us support a vouched expenses scheme. Let us see some more vouched expenses from the other side of the House.

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