Mark Dearey (Green Party)

It has been an interesting hour and a quarter, with good ideas coming from all sides, two of which concerned action rather than debate and which I want to pick out, in particular. I support the calls for action on the Boucher payment which I found deeply disappointing and which demonstrated a breathtaking level of arrogance. We all have our responses to the various revelations about the banking sector, partly through the action of the Financial Regulator and the decisions made by the Government. People feign shock but it is because of NAMA that much of this information is coming to light. I found the news about the Boucher payment particularly disappointing and life-sapping. I support Senator Boyle's calls for the taxation of such payments and Senator Ross's call for the Government to ask Mr. Boucher to consider his position. It will take action of this order to bring the people concerned to heel.

I support Senator O'Toole's suggestion for dealing with Goldman Sachs. However, I would go further and suggest the Financial Regulator conduct an investigation into the affairs of Goldman Sachs in this country, similar to the one being carried out by the Financial Services Authority in the United Kingdom. This morning on Louth local radio Deputy O'Dowd described the Financial Regulator as world class and said a sea change had occurred in regulation. The Goldman Sachs case would be a good demonstration of this and to the satisfaction of both sides of the House. The Financial Regulator should extend his investigations to Goldman Sachs, while, as Senator O'Toole suggested, the State cleanses itself of any investment or engagement with the institution.