Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sometimes, as I listen to debates, I wonder what is the point of trying to convince Fine Gael that we should not use our assets to bail out broken banks. No matter what I or any other member of the Opposition say, it will have no effect. Fine Gael is ideologically wedded to supporting capital above citizens. We have seen what Fine Gael has done during the past three years. It has followed the same banking policies as the previous Government, using State resources to pump up and bail out the banks and allowing them to continue with the same type of people in them.

On numerous occasions I have stood in this same spot asking the Government why we are continuing to pay senior officials in Anglo Irish Bank obscene amounts of money. I specifically mentioned John Bowe as an example of somebody who should not have been paid by the State to remain in his position because of the dealings he was involved in at the time in Anglo Irish Bank, which are public knowledge. When we heard his voice on the Anglo Irish Bank tapes, everybody was appalled. However, when sensible voices had said he should not be there and asked the Government to do something about it, the Government was hands-off. It treats bankers with kid gloves and does anything they wish. I will press amendment No. 19.

Regarding the Government's amendment No. 23, which refers to assessment "on a regional basis", what is the definition of "regional" in the Bill? Does it refer to the BMW region, the provinces, or everywhere outside Dublin?

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