Bailout not inevitable - Roche

Minister for Europe Dick Roche has again said a bailout is not inevitable despite suggestions this morning by the Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan that he expects tens of billions of euros to be pumped into Ireland's banking sector.

Speaking before a conference this morning, Mr Roche said there was a "rather circulatory debate" going on about the nature of the intervention by the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission who have arrived in Dublin.

He said people should get away from the "continuous sniping debate about what we should call" the intervention of the outside organisations. "I don't know if that mechanism will be in the form of funding, and it is really premature to say," he added.

"It is not dissembling or avoiding the issue. It is a fact that if you have the commission which are ramping up the level of their cooperation with us the IMF, if they are here to do a particular series of analysis we should let them to do. We should not jump hurdles and say 'what does this mean?' If it resolves the issue, that is what we should be focused on and not on this continuing debate."

Mr Roche has been one of the most high-profile members of the Government in recent days, particularly in the international media.

He was criticised for using the BBC's Newsnight programme to advocate a vote for Fianna Fáil in the upcoming Donegal South-West byelection. He defended his stance, saying electing Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty would not "send out the best message about this country" and Sinn Féin was ducking the hard decisions in the North.

When asked about Fianna Fáil backbencher Séan Power's comments that the Government must accept responsibility for the problems it caused, Mr Roche said he would be "disappointed" if everybody took the view Mr Power took about the problems facing the country.

He also expressed disappointment at the editorial in The Irish Times that said the impending bailout will mark the "ignominious end of a failed administration".

"It is very easy to sit on the sidelines and do commentary. I have a great respect for the editorial writers in The Irish Times, but I think we should focus on with getting on with the job," Mr Roche said. "These are very strong words, but, without being excessively cutting, The Irish Times has not made a greatest financial success of its own operations over the last few years."