John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

I agree with Senator Brian Hayes's comments on restraint in Northern Ireland. It is right to commend those who show restraint in the face of provocation. It is also good to remind those who actively provoke by burning flags that it is unacceptable.

I request a debate on the property market. Irish banks are securing their loan asset base abroad because they have reached the maximum for lending purposes in this State. They remain within lending constraints so long as the "haircut", or the percentage they can borrow on the securitisation, stands at 60%. However, we must continue to remain within constraints because a property crash would be serious for business and homeowners who could end up with negative equity.

I support the calls for decentralisation and would welcome a debate on the issue. Ireland is too centralised. In France only one quarter of civil servants work in the Paris area while two thirds of Irish civil servants are based in Dublin. The essence of decentralisation must be decision-making which should be central to the debate.