Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was making the point that what we need is a sustainable model whereby people can access credit. We bailed out the banks, whether we like it or not, and they have a moral duty to work with citizens. That might be populist but it is the reality. All of us in this Chamber and in the other House are dealing with customers of banks, whether private or commercial. I repeat that the banks have an obligation and a moral duty to work with all of us. I worry that we are heading down the road of the old-type bank, where they were seen as being vastly superior to all the rest of us. That cannot be allowed to happen.

This is about ensuring we have a new way of doing business. That is why I commend Senator Norris and Deputy McGuinness on challenging the status quoand challenging the Department of Finance thinking. Without being personal, some of the people in the Department are the people who were there in the old days. We need to challenge that mindset because if we do not challenge each other, then we cannot find the pathway forward, irrespective of our political ideology. I understand the Government has a different viewpoint on parts of the Bill. That is why it is important that we do not defeat the Bill today. We must have a national conversation. We have a White Paper on different policy documents, whether in regard to defence or education. While I am not being partisan, to be fair to the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and the Minister of State, Deputy English, Rebuilding Ireland was the first serious attempt in a generation to build housing. The Senator's party did nothing except run away.