Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

Senators Fitzgerald, O'Toole, Alex White, Ormonde, Twomey, Feeney, Leyden, Regan, Coghlan, Walsh, Norris, Callely, Buttimer, Mullen, John Paul Phelan, Coffey and Bacik called for a debate on the credibility of education and the comments and concerns of the directors of Google and Intel regarding matters pertaining to their future employees and the question of grade inflation. I support the call to have the Minister come to the House. The Minister was in the House last week and I have no difficulty having him come to the House to discuss the future of education, his approach and the Government's future policy.

In regard to banking I too welcome the European Commission's approval, under EU state aid rules, of the establishment of the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, and the impaired assets relief scheme for financial institutions in Ireland. The Commission is satisfied that the scheme is in line with the guidelines on impaired asset relief for banks that allows state aid to remedy a serious disturbance in a member state's economy.