Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he understands "the rage and anger" of people at tapes showing Anglo Irish Bank executives discussing how far more money would be needed to stabilise the bank than the State had been told about.
Legislation to set up an inquiry into the country's banking collapse would be passed before the Oireachtas took its summer break, he added this morning.
“I understand the rage and the anger of so many people who have been affected by all of this in their daily lives,” Mr Kenny said, speaking after addressing a conference of parliamentarians from European countries in Dublin Castle.
“Legislation is being put through by the Government, we hope to have that concluded by the summer recess for the inquiries position from the Oireachtas and the Government will make its decision what is best to do in regard to that,” he said.
He said he had been frustrated by the lack of information at what happened in the months leading up to the banking collapse. "I've made the point in the Dáil on many occasions that in the Department of the Taoiseach I don't have any paperwork to advise me as to the conversations that took place between members of the Government and the banks in the run in to that period."
He said he would have liked to have seen legal proceedings arising out of Anglo Irish Bank’s demise concluded earlier. “As a citizen I would have liked to have been in a position that this matter was concluded long before this of the banking situation.
“When it does come to court, I understand it will be the most technically complex case ever taken in an Irish court so I don’t want to say anything that might prejudice that.”
He added: “I do understand people’s outright anger about this carry on.”