Alan Kelly (Labour)

I stated these bankers should be brought back before the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service or other similar committee to explain their comments and the scenarios in which we now find ourselves. If they are incompetent, why are they in their jobs? If they lied, that is another matter. The bank representatives should sit down and be interrogated again. They should be told that they have an opportunity to explain how we got into this scenario. The taxpayer has bailed them out. An explanation is the least we deserve. How will the Government ensure the taxpayer is not exposed to a huge risk? I am concerned that the Bill is merely postponing the problem for another day. We are still not rid of the debt incurred by the banks. What will happen if our model for bailing out the banks is copied by other large economies and the competitive advantage it is purported we will enjoy is removed? What will happen if a bank collapses? What will be the exposure of the taxpayer and how will this be managed?