Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I suppose clichés exist for a purpose but one that jumps to mind immediately is that if one does not learn from history, it has a tendency to repeat itself. It looks like we are heading back to the same banking model as was in place prior to the crash. Indeed, it was not only the citizens of Ireland who picked up the tab. Many people are in penury who had invested in these banks, in terms of shares for their pensions.

It is essential that there is a cost-benefit analysis on whether to sell, and when to sell if it is decided to sell. It is unconscionable that there would not be a vote in this House given that there is a minority Government. If the cap is breached, may I also ask if the Taoiseach would stand over that kind of salary for the chief executive of a bank, that is, somewhere in the region of €1 million?

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