Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I extend the sympathy of the Fine Gael Party to the family of the late Senator Michael Howard. We will have an opportunity to speak in detail about him and pay tribute to him at a later date.

I wish to repeat a question I asked yesterday about the current banking crisis. Who in the Government knew what about the series of events that unfolded in Anglo Irish Bank and when did they know it? I am concerned about the drip-feed of information from the Government about what Ministers knew and when they knew it. We discovered yesterday that the Taoiseach knew last March, when he was the Minister for Finance, that shares in Anglo Irish Bank were changing hands. The drip-feed of information into the House is damaging Ireland's international reputation and the Irish economy.

A number of questions arise on foot of the information we have most recently received. The Taoiseach says he does not know the identity of the ten people who have been bailed out, in effect, to the tune of €300 million. Yesterday, I spoke about the anger of the public about the existence of a golden circle. I assume the Taoiseach was telling the truth yesterday when he informed the other House that he does not know the identity of the people in question. Given that so much taxpayers' money is involved, why does he not know who they are?