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Banking Bill

Before I do so, the Minister said that he assumed that I was talking about EEA banks. The definition in proposed subsection (2) of my amendment refers both to EEA banks and treaty banks, and is therefore not simply confined to the EEA. The Minister’s response was mainly in the context of EEA branches. I am sure that it is good to write to Commissioner McCreevy and wait for the European Commission to propose some action or a directive, but that is not the action that I would have thought that a responsible Government would take. Let us assume, however, that writing to Commissioner McCreevy is a good and constructive thing to do about branches of EEA firms. What, then, about branches of other banks that operate under the FSMA through treaty provisions?