Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I very much welcome the programme for Government. I also welcome the Minister to the House. He is a man with a vast wealth of experience, both legal and political, and I wish him well. He is well placed to introduce some of the reforms mentioned and to contribute to all of the others.

Never before in our history have so few inflicted so much damage to so many in the country and our reputation. Given what has happened with our banking system, which is on the floor, I find it abhorrent that people from the five institutions that are participating in NAMA have managed to escape the net. It is wrong that many senior people who were responsible for much of what went wrong are now managing those assets on an agency basis. Those people should have been removed some time ago. I do not know how some of them have escaped the net. It is shocking that people in business are being denied lines of credit and that existing systems are being reneged on, reviewed or cut back, rather than renewed. It is wrong that the banks are trying to damage the credit of people in profitable businesses, who have to meet certain commitments. The banks are trying to injure them as they try to go about their business. I hope Mr. John Trethowan and his colleagues in the Credit Review Office become more pugnacious in their dealings with the financial institutions.

I would like to conclude by speaking about the proposed establishment of a judicial council. I welcome the appointment of the Minister, Deputy Shatter. He is the right man in the right place to make the necessary constitutional amendment to allow the Government to reduce the pay of the Judiciary in line with other public sector reductions. A small minority of judges have not accepted reductions. Who do they think they are? Nobody — not even members of the Judiciary — is above the law. A tiny fraction of those concerned are giving great offence to the Chief Justice, the President of the High Court and many of their colleagues to whom we have all spoken. Many members of the Judiciary are so upset by the actions of a tiny minority of their colleagues. People in privileged positions are meant to serve society like the rest of us, but some are leading by shocking example. I look forward to the Minister, Deputy Shatter, leading that reform in whatever way he deems appropriate.