John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

If our banks went to raise that money in Europe, they would have to repay a multiple of that rate. The total cost of the impaired loans will be covered by the 8% we are receiving as a coupon from the banks for the €7 billion we have already given to them.

The Leader should consider a debate as the United Kingdom has indicated it will extend its nuclear capacity, in particular along the west coast. That puts the Irish east coast, including Dublin, in a nuclear zone. We have a real interest in this development. We should request that any new reactors will be state-of-art ones. In other words, if there is a shutdown of the cooler it will not mean that a meltdown will occur. In new reactors, the irradiated material is encased in a steel sphere, which is a much safer method of dealing with such material. It will put our nation at less risk.