Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil's overall contribution has been very much the contribution of an organisation that was a partner in government. We all accept that we are not sitting here at 4.30 a.m. in order to make political points against each other. We are here because we care about this country and its future. I am prepared to give credit where it is due and to say that the contribution of Fianna Fáil to the debate has been thoughtful.

We are all sitting here in the middle of the night because we are conscious of the obligation placed on us as legislators. We are all conscious of the fact that we have been in a crisis for a number of years. We are very much aware that any movement in that crisis brings all of us Irish people closer to a recovery that we all want and in which we all believe. This should not be a party political issue. It is not about what other people did in the middle of the night or what we are doing in the middle of the night; it is about what the Irish people need, what this country needs and what we will do as legislators for the Irish people.

I have never in my life been in a position where so many people understand or care about economic definitions, promissory notes, ELAs, etc. We are all experts suddenly on the Irish economy. We are all experts on what will or will not happen to the Irish economy. We need to be honest. We are not sitting here tonight talking about legislation to disband the former Anglo Irish Bank as though we do not know what this is about because we all know. We all know this debate is about what will happen tomorrow with the promissory notes and the Irish economy. We should stop pretending that it is all about one thing when in fact it is all about something entirely different.

We have a choice. There is a deal on the table - that is the reality and the Minister, Deputy Noonan, would not be here tonight if this was not the case. We know that what we are doing here tonight is a precursor to delivering that deal. We should stop pretending it is otherwise because that is what it is.