Sean Barrett (Independent)

I wish to deal, first, with what happened at the meeting of the finance committee yesterday. Those who like to view what happens here as a Punch and Judy show can put their own interpretation on what happened. The point at issue is that Parliament has a role to play in dealing with the national finances and the issue of reinvesting in the banks. It was in that spirit that we asked the Governor of the Central Bank to appear before the committee. I believe every member of the committee supports the Minister for Finance, the Taoiseach and all those seeking to reduce the promissory note payment of €3.1 billion on 31 March, which is bad news for the media. There may have been doors that did not unlock such that the full committee was not able to meet, but it is fair to say we all support those who are seeking to reduce this burden. As we said the other day, the use of promissory notes, letters of comfort and so on is frowned upon by the Comptroller and Auditor General and not part of a proper parliamentary process.

I wish the very best for Mary Ryan-Hayes, aged nine years, in her continued recovery following the incident with a train near Tipperary. It was great news for us to hear, although it was tempered somewhat by the reports on the loss of 22 schoolchildren from Belgium while returning home from a school outing. We extend our sympathy to the people of Belgium.

On the issue of university rankings, we had people in, as Senator David Norris said. The counterbalance is that we have universities in the top 15 in the world. Sometimes league tables do not make much sense; they are sometimes used by lobby groups, of which we must always beware. The good news is that research articles are widely cited and referred to. It is recognised that this is a very difficult time for the public finances and that people have to play their part in setting the country to rights again.