Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Will the Leader arrange debates in the House on alternate weeks on the fiscal position in the run-up to the budget, which is crucial if we want to restore consumer confidence, investor confidence and job creation? The settling of the fiscal situation is the one issue that is under our control. I am a critic of the Minister, Deputy Howlin, for his serious failures in that regard. We should have a debate to focus on the issue.

The second issue which we should debate on alternate weeks is the banking situation. I agree with Senators who have called for such debates. Banks are not lending. I do not share Senator Paul Coghlan?s confidence that the comments of the Secretary General of the Department of Finance, which I welcome, will in any way change the modus operandi or attitude of the banks. Unfortunately, we have a situation in the country where banks are not functioning. There are no flows of credit. The situation is serious.

We are four years into the crisis. We have an insolvency Bill that is still sitting in the Department of Justice and Equality. Recently, I had occasion to try to ascertain information for a solicitor who made a representation to me on whether a person made bankrupt this year would benefit from the provisions of the new insolvency Bill. After some time I got confirmation that this person would not benefit. I was told by an official in the Department that they were too busy to engage with me due to the work on the Bill. I have never come across that in my 15 to 16 years in this House. It reflects the attitude of the people from the HSE and the Department of Health who went before the Committee of Public Accounts. They appeared to be under political duress not to co-operate with the democratic process. That is appalling.

When we were in government, those in opposition, in particular the Labour Party, shouted about greater transparency and more freedom of information. I have never seen a situation closed down to the extent that it is under this Government. Nothing is transparent and as a consequence we are paying a price for that. I call for a debate on those issues and the insolvency Bill. The proposals on the latter are highly deficient. To have three years when neighbouring jurisdictions have one year will lead to a situation where many people who have been made bankrupt, many of whom will want to get back into business, recreate their wealth and create jobs, will do it to the benefit of other countries not this one. The manner in which the situation is being approached is lunacy. The pedantic way in which the matter is being pursed is appalling.