John Gilroy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Senator Rónán Mullen called for a debate on marriage equality in this Chamber this afternoon and while his call was reasonable, the words he used were not. Members should have a debate on this issue at the earliest possible opportunity because during such a debate, the intolerance at the heart of Senator Mullen's argument will be exposed. However, that is not the reason I speak today. I welcome the news this morning that Bank of Ireland has returned successfully to the markets with a bond sale of more than ¤1 billion. It secured three-year money at 3.2%, which is a full ten points lower than the level of interest we were being charged 12 months ago. This is a small but significant step and signals a returning of confidence to the market and the economy. Notwithstanding the presence of the Minister for Finance in the House today, the Leader might organise a debate about banking, banking debt and banking practices in Ireland. While the news from Bank of Ireland today is very welcome, I very much doubt whether it will do anything to reduce the level of arrogance of that same organisation, as evinced in the buildings of Leinster House in the past week.