David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The facts are very clear and are on the table for the people of this State. As many people went to bed last night they were worried about the emergency legislation being rushed through the Dáil and this House and its impact on them and their families. Yesterday was a day of high drama. It was also a day of chaos and farce because public representatives learned from Twitter and social media what was happening, not from the Government.

We have learned to our cost, inside and outside of this House, not to celebrate so-called deals presented to us by the Government on banking debt. It is not so long ago that the Tánaiste, Taoiseach and Minister for Finance returned here after a summit last June and hailed what they described as a game changer where banking debt was to be separated from sovereign debt. That is what we were told.