John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

Almost every speaker has raised the issue of the banking crisis, and the need to have a discussion on it. Senator Norris made a good suggestion to allow a rolling debate for an hour every day after the Order of Business, so that people could raise issues of concern in the broader economy and especially in banking. I agree with Senator Donohoe, as there needs to be a complete reconstruction of the boards of the banks in this country because we need to restore confidence. There is an absolute lack of trust, at home and abroad, in the senior management of our banks in this country. That cannot be changed unless we change the people who run our banks.

Senator Callely and others spoke about the many good officials who work in banks throughout the country. I know many of them and that they are honest, decent, hard working people. However, their work has been undermined by the few who have been caught with their hands in the till. I join other Senators in asking that the full rigours of the law be brought to bear. We have been talking about the investigation by the Office of Corporate Enforcement into dodgy dealings in our banks, but we should be talking about the Garda fraud squad, because this is fraud as far as I am concerned. We should ask that arm of the Garda to get directly involved in those investigations.

I join Senator Fitzgerald and others in calling for a debate on education. When the Minister for Education and Science was last in this House, he disingenuously failed to refer to the cutbacks he was about to announce later that evening. We should have a debate on the matter.

The last point I want to make relates to tolling. I am sure other Senators have received complaints from people in their local areas since the introduction of barrier-free tolling on what used to be called the West Link motorway. I was recently presented with a case that might lighten the mood of the House slightly at this time of doom and gloom. A couple of weeks ago, a constituent of mine received a bill in the post on foot of an alleged non-payment of a toll. It was all well and good until I discovered that the vehicle in question was a tractor. My constituent was supposed to have crossed the West Link bridge on his tractor without paying a toll. Some of the serious problems that arose when barrier-free tolling was introduced on the M50 have not yet been hammered out and they should be examined as a matter of urgency.