Pearse Doherty

It is an Exchequer note, which means it is the other organ of the State. It makes a mockery of it.

164. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the rationale for selling PTSB; and the safeguards that will be in place to protect jobs and the bank branch network. [39794/26]

This question is in relation to the sale of the State's shares in the banking sector. Will the Minister outline to the House the rationale he had for selling the shares? I acknowledge that parties are entitled to different ideological positions. Permanent TSB was never a strategic bank. I would rather have held the ownership of AIB within the State, but Permanent TSB has the potential to be a thir…

I did not think we would reach it.

I appreciate that.

The Minister mentioned the policy objective to return the banks to private ownership. I mentioned earlier that the State should have retained its position as a majority shareholder in AIB. It is not unique, as I am sure the Minister knows, for countries across Europe to be the majority shareholder or a significant shareholder in significant banks. It happens right across Europe, including in Franc…

The Minister is aware that a number of taxation and levy measures flowed from the fact that the State rescued these banks at a time when they were literally bankrupt and bankrupted the State with their activities. The Government has already overturned some of those, for example, the salary caps within banks. There is a prohibition on bonuses or at least there is an excess charge that applies in te…

Before I turn to energy costs, I welcome the release this morning of Irish citizens who were illegally detained on the Gaza aid flotilla. Their illegal detention and treatment by Israeli forces was disgraceful, as were the actions and rhetoric of Israeli Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. They were utterly unacceptable and completely sickening. If the Minister's comments this morning, that the time for w…

Ag buaic na ghéarchéime costais fuinnimh, tá €178 milliún á choinneáil ag an Rialtas ar leataobh. Bailíodh an t-airgead seo ó chomhlachtaí fuinnimh agus bhí sé i gceist é seo a thabhairt do ghnáthdhaoine le linn na géarchéime costais maireachtála. Ba é sin an cuspóir iomlán leis an scéim seo agus bhí sé i gceist cuidiú éigeandála tapa a chur ar fáil do theaghlaigh a bhí faoi bhrú ollmhór de bharr …

That is not true.

We will be writing to the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste. Next week the decks should be cleared and we should pass the occupied territories Bill. We should not be talking about progress. There should be no more delays. We need action. This has been going on for years. In terms of the cost of energy, the Minister is missing the point and is trying to dress it up in a way that supports the Government's…

What about this fund?

What about the fund?

When is the Government going to use the fund?

Does the Minister know that there is money in the fund?

Does the Minister's Government know?

Does the Government know that the money is sitting in the fund? Does it actually know that millions of euro is sitting there that should be in the pockets of workers?

At a time ordinary workers and families are counting every euro, the Government continues to be a serial waster of public money. There is the €127,000 designer bike shed at the Kerry hospital, a bike shed that is actually letting water in - you could not make it up. Hot on the heels of that, we now discover that €50 million of taxpayers’ money has effectively been torched on a failed IT system for…

It is €50 million.

Come on. There was €50 million of waste.

Do not justify that with giving Irish citizens the right to have their passport.

That is ridiculous stuff from a Minister.

The Government burnt through €50 million and it blames citizens-----

It is disgraceful for the Minister to blame citizens in the North for the Government's complete and utter incompetence.

There was €50 million of waste and it was a cheap shot.