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Fiscal Responsibility Bill

I must confess that I have not read The Irish Times, but the hon. Gentleman will be aware of the interconnected nature of the banking system in the global economy. We rightly took action to stabilise the banks in the United Kingdom—the Irish Government, as the hon. Gentleman is very well aware, have taken significant action to stabilise their banking system—and, indeed, to cut the deficit in Northern Ireland. The Bill proposes a set of measures that we believe are appropriate to the UK's specific circumstances.