Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I support the comments of Senator Coghlan. I reassure the House that An Taoiseach is doing absolutely everything to enforce the words of 29 June with regard to the separation of sovereign and private debt in the banks. To be fair, he is also gathering allies on this issue. Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, was here last week. He said the agreement must be enforced as well. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, assures us that he is doing absolutely everything to get a deal on the debt. He has said that without it, it is like driving a car with the handbrake on. The House can rest assured that we are 100% sincere about this.

I am shocked and flabbergasted at the judgment in the sexual assault case reported on the front page of The Irish Times. A man with a previous record of serious harm and whose mother admitted that he had been a victim of sexual abuse as a child, got a suspended four-year sentence after attacking a 17 year old. As Senator Cáit Keane noted, he was asked to pay ¤15,000. I cannot get over why there was no requirement for him to attend counselling. The poor 17 year old victim is attending counselling every two weeks to get over it. This man has-----