Financial Assistance (Ireland) Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Financial Assistance (Ireland)

Andrew Love Excerpts
Monday 22nd November 2010

(13 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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George Osborne Portrait Mr Osborne
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We have made it clear that we would accept a treaty change—of the kind that, for example, Germany is talking about—only if it created a eurozone bail-out mechanism that we were not part of, and of course a treaty change requires unanimity.

Andrew Love Portrait Mr Andrew Love (Edmonton) (Lab/Co-op)
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Will the Chancellor confirm that the UK is Ireland’s largest creditor, being owed about £100 billion or 7% of our GDP? It is understandable that we would want to be in there and protecting our investment. During his speech, he mentioned that we were at the centre of discussions to shape the conditions of the agreement, but does he intend those conditions to include a further retrenchment of the Irish economy, or, like Opposition Members, will he go for growth in order to help the Irish economy get back on its feet?