John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the limited time I have to speak, I commend my colleague, Deputy Michael McGrath, not alone for bringing this motion before the House tonight, but also for having pursued this issue so vigorously over the last number of years along with a number of other colleagues.

I am not sure whether the Minister is aware of the reaction among journalists on social media to his press conference this afternoon. It was one of incredulity to the response of the Government to the actions of the banks. My constituents have already let me know by way of email and text message that they share this incredulity. There are events which change the affairs of men and this is one such occasion in the lifetime of this Dáil. After the crash, it became clear that the banks had been a law unto themselves. The absolute scandal is that they clearly still are and appear to be beyond the reach of the Minister and regulation. The general feeling among journalists on social media is that banks are going to get away with it again. This is journalists not the public. Nothing the Minister said appeared to address that. That contrasts vividly to what I heard as I listened to Sean O'Rourke's radio programme this morning. Paddy O'Gorman, who does such great social service with his vox pops with people coming in and out of the Dublin courts, had an interview on the show with a person facing prosecution, fines and a suspended sentence for failure to pay her television licence fee. She had very justifiable reasons given the circumstances in which she was living in the fact that she was cash-strapped.

People out there are wondering what has to happen for this Parliament to be sovereign and for the Government to govern with impact. Institutions appear to be beyond the reach of the State and Parliament. What has the Government learned the last decade? People are in disbelief. While the priority for the Government now is resolution and repayment, the priority in future must be to bring the people who made these decisions to account. The citizens of this country have to know that its laws apply equally to every citizen and that every institution is subject to rules and regulation. If those are breached, institutions should not simply be named and made to repay, they should be subject to the law and punished accordingly.

See this speech in context