Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am well aware of the responsibilities I have. It is interesting to hear the Deputy refer to the interest he appears to have had for many decades in the people who work for those banks. I stand by the comment I made. The first time he ever raised this matter with me was in recent weeks.

I am of course aware of the challenges many big employers face within our country, but many of them are employers in which this country and its taxpayers do not have a share. As regards the banking system to which we are referring, we do have a share in each of the three banks but we do not have a role in the commercial decisions those banks make. Deputy Barry knows that. He knows I do not have the legal power to intervene and do what he is looking for me to do. He knows I cannot mandate boards of banks to do things differently from what they are planning regarding employment. What I have looked to do is engage directly with the banks. Through the engagement I have had with NatWest, for example, I look to deal seriously with the issues to which the Deputy is referring, as opposed to making the kind of comments he has just made.

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