Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

Yesterday, when the banks appeared before the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service, they indicated that people suffering from negative equity and with cash flow problems are collateral damage of an economic bubble which has burst. A cash flow problem can close a business. Has the Minister for Finance any plans to increase the amount of credit available in Irish markets? The Government, through the National Treasury Management Agency, has a large amount of assets tied up. It is possible for some of these assets to be transferred into deposit accounts in all of the major banks in Ireland. This could improve the credit flow for Irish banks, if this is the problem.

The banks do not consider they have a problem, although their shares have collapsed. People with mortgages and negative equity face serious problems. If the economy needs to be stimulated, the Government has a role to play and it could use the National Treasury Management Agency and its assets to do so. Will we get an idea next week from the Minister for Finance on whether he has plans to improve matters rather than cutting back and borrowing in the way he has indicated so far?

I would also like a debate on the HSE. The HSE has only been established for four years and an organisation has never undergone so much chopping and changing and centralising and decentralising. The HSE was supposed to have been well thought out before it was begun. It is a complete mess. It is time we had a proper debate on it. Every time we discuss it we are accused of being against reform. All of the Government parties state the HSE is a mess but vote for the Government. Will we have a proper debate on this? This side of the House has indicated that the HSE and its structures have been a mess from the outset.