Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I support the calls for a debate on banking. The Minister needs to come to the House to address a number of questions such as have been posed by Senator Ross. Why should the taxpayer be expected to invest another cent in a building society such as Irish Nationwide? In addition to senior management, will the board members in the banks and building societies be interrogated as regards their reckless lending practices and their policies for topping up pensions? There is also a need for a thorough investigation into the role of accountants, auditors and solicitors. Many of these so-called professionals acted in a less than professional manner in their dealings with financial institutions and developers. Those who acted improperly should not be allowed to get off scot free. It is not sufficient that their respective professional bodies are left to deal with them. A debate on banking could address a number of questions. The deficit in the financial information available to us also needs to be addressed by the Minister. I, therefore, ask the Leader to accede to the requests of the vast majority of Senators by arranging a debate on banking today. I hope the Members on the other side of the House who support the request will vote on the amendment to the Order of Business accordingly.