Joe O'Toole (Independent)

——with a view to taking appropriate action in response to it? They do not read the newspapers, as I heard one Minister say. We should propose the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, for a star performance on "Morning Ireland" this morning. He clearly had not read the opinion poll, that is for sure.

That is serious and has gone beyond a joke, but on a more serious point, I would like to hear more about the movements on Anglo Irish Bank and I would like some evaluation of that situation. I would like to understand what is going on there. Is somebody outbidding the markets or is the decision based on information we do not already have? I would like to hear where we stand on that issue, what will happen next in Anglo Irish Bank and what the Government's position would be were there to be a clear bid for the bank.

People are interested in these kinds of issues and want to know where we go next. It is a positive sign that people want to put money into this country. The positive noises being made by Mr. Jean-Claude Trichet when he was here yesterday must be acknowledged. What does all this mean for the economy? Does it mean the Government does not now find itself in the same hole it thought it was in? Is it a good or a bad thing from the Government point of view? Has it discounted all the issues he mentioned, raised and discussed on where we stand?

Senator Norris mentioned the need for at least a weekly debate on the economy, to be taken immediately after the Order of Business. This is a classic example. We should be getting further information on this and discussing and understanding it so we can explain it to other people.