SEANAD:THE GOVERNMENT should direct Allied Irish Banks to sell its overseas assets and use the money raised to assist businesses and to create jobs here, Larry Butler (FF) said. The State should also take steps to control the charges banks imposed on the business community.

AIB had recorded a loss of close on €2.5 billion, he noted. “They could have told us that six months ago, but they preferred to come in and tell lies and bluff.”

Complaining that she felt intimidated by the Minister for Education, Fidelma Healy Eames (FG) said Batt O’Keeffe had threatened to sue her if she continued to make remarks about cuts affecting children with special education needs. In the course of a debate last week, Mr O’Keeffe had accused her of making a political football out of the issue. She wanted to know from the leader of the House if this was appropriate behaviour for a senior Cabinet Minister towards a member of the Seanad. She also wished to know why the Minister was trying to silence her. She would be lodging a formal complaint with the Committee on Procedure and Privileges about the Minister’s behaviour.

If the Government had taken a decision to begin dismantling the “partnership industry and to remove the partnership junkies from positions of authority”, he would welcome it, Shane Ross (Ind) said.

He was referring to the draft order for the dissolution of the National Economic and Social Forum and the National Centre for Partnership and Performance, which was approved without debate. All those quangos that had sprung up as a consequence of social partnership should be dismantled, said Mr Ross.