Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

It is likely that we will see significant industrial action from the security industry tomorrow, following a number of raids on cash-in-transit vans in Dublin and surrounding counties in recent months. It is a very serious situation. The matter was not helped by the comments of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, who ratcheted up the problem for those who work in the industry. Can I ask the Government if action will be taken at this late stage and if it will do everything in its power to avert this industrial action which would cause considerable inconvenience for people who use ATM machines throughout the country?

We need a debate about how much the banking industry pays for security. This is a disgrace, given that it was revealed yesterday that banks charge €26 million a year so that people can access their own accounts while they provide only a paltry sum of money to secure their money as it is moved around the country. I support what the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, said on the matter in recent weeks but now we want to see some action. The banks should have to pay for the security that the State provides for their money to be carried around the country. I ask that time be provided to discuss this matter in the coming weeks, particularly so that the Minister for Defence could outline his views further on this matter.

There was an alarming scene yesterday in the Morris tribunal where the key witness, Mr. McBrearty, walked out of the tribunal and its proceedings. Can I ask the Government if in the next few days it could clarify if a guarantee would be given to the McBrearty family that all of the legal fees surrounding their participation at the tribunal will be guaranteed? As a colleague of mine said earlier, if Mr. McBrearty is not at the tribunal it would be like staging Hamlet without the prince. It is important that this matter is cleared up as soon as possible.