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

I absolutely refute the allegations and language used by the Deputies. This Government could not be clearer in our condemnation of the behaviour and loss of life that is taking place in Gaza and the untold suffering those people have endured. We have made that case very prominently within the EU and at a global level.

As Minister for Finance, I am obliged to tell the truth about the work that the Central Bank of Ireland does and the legal framework within which it must operate. It must operate in that legal framework because that legal framework and how the bank discharges its duties is fundamental to the work it does and, in turn, to how our economy operates and how it regulates activity here within Ireland and in Europe. I have outlined the legal mandate that the Central Bank should fulfil. The Deputies are already aware of it, and the view of the Central Bank governor in relation to it. I am not going to say to Dáil Éireann here today that I can do anything that I do not believe is legal and I am not going to say that I can do something that would imperil or undermine the independence of the Central Bank.

We are clear in our condemnation of what has happened in Gaza. We are clear in laying out what we believe should stop and the support we have made available to those who are suffering in Gaza and in the Middle East. I do not accept the language that the Deputy has used in respect of the Central Bank. I have laid out its role very clearly.

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