Shane Ross (Independent)

It must be very convenient for the Fianna Fáil element of the Government that its Members will happily discuss climate change today, a subject they have carefully avoided for three and a half years. Today it is a source of great relief for them because the rest of the nation is talking about Anglo Irish Bank and the relationship between the Taoiseach and people in the bank. That subject is the national issue of the day. Yesterday I spoke at length about the dangers of cronyism on the basis of the revelations known to us at that stage. It was bad enough that the Taoiseach was meeting Mr. Sean FitzPatrick so often and in such questionable circumstances, but what has emerged since has only confirmed the worst fears of Members on the Government side of the House. Not only was the Taoiseach meeting Mr. FitzPatrick, which was not, as he said, a sin in itself because he should be accessible to the leaders of the large banks in the country, that night he was also meeting three directors of Anglo Irish Bank whose connection with the party and himself was so close. Mr. Drury was a director of Anglo Irish Bank just before that and a friend of the Taoiseach.