Seanad debates

Thursday, 12 December 2002

Photo of Mary O'RourkeMary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

Senator Brian Hayes stated he would not agree to the Order of Business unless the Minister for Health and Children came to the House to discuss the incident at Monaghan General Hospital. While I cannot get hold of him, I understand the Senator's position. It was a terrible and extremely tragic incident. The Minister has ordered an inquiry about which we will be informed as quickly as possible. I send my sympathies to the young mother who has lost her baby. It is a sad and poignant case on which all of us would like to have a debate as soon as possible.

Senator Ross and others referred to banks not passing on last week's interest rate cut by the ECB. It is robbery. Usually, when banks are mentioned in this context, they are being robbed. However, they are robbing us instead of somebody robbing them. I will write to the Irish Bankers Federation later to find out how much money we, as consumers, have lost as a result of the non-implementation of the 0.5% interest rate reduction as soon as the announcement was made by the ECB. It is a considerable amount. The banks have learned nothing following the DIRT inquiry.

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