Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

One of the major problems here tonight is the context of this debate. I am trying to visualise what the mood of this Chamber would be like if this debate was being held in tandem with a final agreement and if that agreement was one that did not include debt write down. The Minister said the he would have preferred to introduce the Bill in tandem with a finalised agreement with the ECB. I am asking him to give us a commitment that he will bring that finalised agreement to this House for our approval. I ask him to confirm that we will be able to vote on it or will section 17 be the monster that we are afraid of? That monster involves transferring a huge amount of power to one individual who can deal with these matters in the absence of the kind of oversight that is required in this House. We need an answer to that question.

For me, any deal that does not include a write down of the debt is not an acceptable deal. It is not our debt and burden sharing should not be between us and the generations to come.

See this speech in context