Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I am speaking to it. When Hell freezes over, we will vote for Deputy Buttimer's proposal.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, and his officials from the Department. I have been assured all the statements made today will be conveyed to the Minister for Finance and that he might be in a position to respond. I commend the Minister of State on his excellent work on the Lisbon reform treaty which he worked so hard to have accepted in the referendum on 2 October. Great credit is due to him. Without the treaty, we would now be in very difficult circumstances.

I welcome the National Asset Management Agency Bill 2009 which is a very detailed document. It is one of the most important Bills to come before the House and will possibly prove to be one of the most important ever. It has many consequences for the economy. The Government has considered it in great detail and there was no real alternative. The alternative proposed by Fine Gael is nonsense. NAMA is the only game in town-----