Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

As is the case with the various matters discussed in the House, all things are relative. At present, two young children under the age of 12 months are incarcerated in Irish prisons. Ten such children have been held in our prisons in recent times because their mothers gave birth while incarcerated. On the other hand, we have witnessed shenanigans involving the transfer of deposits of billions of euro to Anglo Irish Bank. The issue is not only the sums involved but also the damage done to Ireland's international good standing, the losses incurred by investors and the jobs which have been lost as a result. In comparison, the transgressions of the mothers of the small children who are in jail are infinitesimally small. What kind of a society is able to punish misfortunate women and their children but is unable to punish the big boys, so to speak, who have brought the country to its current position?

I salute Senator Mullen on the ground that it is vital to have balance in this debate. I have endeavoured on every occasion on which I spoke on this issue on the Order of Business to avoid party politics because party political debate will not help. Too often, we take our eye off the ball and focus on the man. By highlighting and making the central issue the Minister for Finance's comments in the Dáil yesterday, the day on which details of the proposed recapitalisation of the banks were to be announced, we made the Minister's role the main story. By doing so, will we ensure that those who created the current problem get off the hook again?

Senator Fitzgerald is correct to highlight the loss of another 1,100 jobs. It is terrible to listen to the news each morning. Let us imagine how the families of each of the 1,100 employees in question must feel. Those working in Dell, Waterford Crystal and the many small businesses which are closing are in the same position.