Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

——or the liathróidí to do it, it should give me the names and I will use Seanad privilege to name and shame the people who have committed economic treason against the taxpayers of this State. The ordinary people demand it.

Let us consider the example of what happened approximately a decade ago when bankers advised people from my constituency and many other constituencies. These were people who cut turf for the local power station for a living and when it closed down they went to their bankers with the redundancy payment. What did the bankers direct them to do? They directed them to put it into offshore accounts. The Government imposed massive penalties and named and shamed each and every one of them. Pensioners and others with life savings were robbed by the State, and were named and shamed, yet the Government is hiding the names of the golden circle which is what is angering the public.

The sitting on Thursday does not deal with any legislation. It deals with statements on the Middle East, which is something we can do after 6 o'clock this evening. I am asking the Leader not to force people to have to make a choice to pass a public sector picket on the gates of this House. That should not be a choice asked of Members of the House or of members of unions in this House.