Seanad report:Joe O'Toole (Ind) told the Seanad he feared a run on credit unions like that on the Northern Rock bank. If there was any lack of confidence that was what would happen, and he urged the Minister for Finance to act over concerns in this area.
Mr O'Toole said that Independent members of the House had made the point in the last Seanad that savings in credit unions should have the same level of protection as that guaranteed to those in banks.
They had been told that talks were taking place with the League of Credit Unions, that they involved the Financial Regulator, and that they were to be concluded by the end of last March.
As the Government had not been as good as its word on this issue, he felt it was time to bring forward his Bill to get the guarantees he thought were needed.
There was a need for a Tallaght strategy on how we dealt with the challenges posed by climate change, Dan Boyle (GP) said.
He was responding to the Climate Protection Bill introduced by new Trinity member Ivana Bacik, who said that nothing in the proposed measure was not already Government policy. However she believed legislation was essential.
"Only a statutory commitment backed by sanctions can commit not only this Government but also future governments to follow emission- reductions strategies."
Mr Boyle said he hoped that the Bill would pass second stage. It was something that his party could support. However, the wording in the Programme for Government called for cross-party agreement in this area. The issue of climate change and global warming needed a Tallaght strategy.
Replying to the debate, Ms Bacik said a little over two years ago, in relation to this very issue, the Green Party had described Fianna Fáil as "a huddle of gangsters spending taxpayers' money in a carbon casino, plotting the most conniving scams to dodge even the woefully-inadequate Kyoto targets".
Judging by what Minister Gormley was now saying, relationships had improved somewhat since then. "However, the need for a legally-binding mechanism to enforce our commitments regarding carbon reduction has not changed. It is still an imperative regardless of the new political dispensation."