Mary White (Fianna Fail)

It is my pleasure to let the Members of the Opposition know that at 5.40 p.m. yesterday a motion of mine was before the parliamentary party meeting to the effect that the Minister for Finance put pressure on the banks, particularly the Bank of Ireland and AIB, to loosen up the lending of money to small and medium-sized businesses. In my presentation on the motion I stated that we are looking into a big black abyss unless the Government frees up money to companies to keep their businesses going, to pay their employees and to cover current expenditure. At 7.10 p.m. my colleagues in the parliamentary party-----