Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the sentiments expressed about the bankers. I have spoken in the House on a number of occasions about bringing the banks to book and have put this question. When the Minister attends the House, he may be able to explain to us what exactly a public interest director of a bank does. I am confused. I do not have a clue what these public interest directors do. They certainly are not acting in the interests of the public and seem to be acting in the interest of the bank. There is a clear distinction. Surely there is a way, either through the budget or through taxation, whereby some kind of pension levy could be introduced on pensions in excess of ¤150,000. Given that banks have already received billions of euro of taxpayers' money, surely there is some way to do this.

I accept that nothing can be done retrospectively. In the context of what these people will be earning in the future, however, we have a responsibility to explore the possibility of introducing a levy.

I wish to commend The Gathering, to which reference has been made. The comments made by Gabriel Byrne were regrettable. Mr. Byrne is a person for whom I have respect. It is regrettable that two or three sentences uttered during a longer interview made the headlines. That is a pity, particularly as the number of events certified as part of The Gathering has exceeded 1,000. This is a remarkable achievement and the events in question will bring people back to the country in 2013. I encourage every parish, community and sporting organisation - it should be noted that there are hundreds of golf clubs throughout the country which have overseas members - to engage with The Gathering. The latter is not designed to shake down those who will visit the country next year. Its purpose is, rather, to actively engage with people who will assist us in extricating ourselves from our current difficulties.