Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a high degree of uncertainty in the markets and some volatility linked with international developments. There are also some question marks about the underlying health of certain European banks. We are all well aware, for example, of the problems with Italian banks and it is not yet clear how these will play out. At this remove, early in 2017, when will be the opportune time to make the assessment of the right time to proceed with an IPO for AIB? As the Minister noted, there are certain windows in the calendar year during which we will not have an opportunity to proceed with an IPO because of reporting requirements and so forth. If he does not make a decision early in the year, will he revise his assessment in the autumn and take advice from the professionals he has brought on board?

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