SEANAD:WHILE THE Government had provided a support to the banks, the lending of funds to commercial enterprises, including small businesses, was a matter for the banks after that, a Minister said.

The Government did not decide at the end of the day who got a loan and who did not, said Minister of State Máire Hoctor.

She was responding to Shane Ross (Ind), who said that small businesses would be going bust in Christmas week because of the unavailability of credit facilities.

What was the Government going to do to push the banks to make sure that money was released to viable small businesses? The Government had the power to ensure that this happened.

Seanad leader Donie Cassidy called on the ESB and Bord Gáis to consider an immediate reduction of 10 per cent in their prices.

He said the electricity board had got a 17.5 increase in August and the gas board had got an increase of 20 per cent in September.

"There is no good reason that these two great companies cannot play their part in assisting Ireland."

Mr Cassidy said he was also calling on the regulator to state why there could not be a reduction of 10 per cent in prices early next year given that oil prices had gone down to their current low level.

The slogan for the second Lisbon referendum campaign should be that the choice was "Lisbon or Reykjavik", said Eugene Regan, Fine Gael Justice spokesman. If they thought of the misleading and confusing campaign that had taken place on the first referendum, they needed the straight talking of Michael O'Leary of Ryanair to confront the, at times bizarre, arguments of the No campaign.

"While we might find Michael O'Leary can be forthright and use choice language, it is the type of language needed to cut through the illogical and emotive arguments of the No side."