Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Another factor in the background of all this relates to people who have been sitting down in the basement for months listening to how the banking collapse happened. Getting the advice to as many people as possible and not confining it to narrow circles must be considered. I acknowledge that the Minister has responsibility but it must be recognised that we all have a degree of responsibility. We must learn from the banking inquiry and about the wider implications for the entire public administration. Not communicating with people, not consulting widely, not involving the so-called contrarians and not getting interest groups involved can prove expensive for the country afterwards. I appreciate what the Minister of State said and I will not be pressing the amendment but, in general, we must bear in mind the principle contained in the banking inquiry reports, namely, that we have to make policy not just for small groups of people, including Ministers and their advisers, but also for society as a whole. The banking inquiry precedent would indicate that we would do far better by involving more people. That is the spirit in which the amendment was proposed. We will think about this again on Report Stage. I will not press the amendment this afternoon.