In both this House and the Dáil Fianna Fáil has consistently raised the plight of mortgage holders in distress. Despite its public statements, the Government has regularly refused to accept proposals and initiatives put forward by my party to try to alleviate the distress of mortgage holders. Yesterday at an Oireachtas committee meeting the head of AIB indicated it was almost certain that the bank was going to reduce the variable rate in the coming months. What I find extraordinary is that a leading newspaper, the Irish Independent - a little like The Sun headline at the time of the Falklands war, "It's The Sun wot won it", is actually claiming credit for having pressurised the Government, the Central Bank and the banking institutions.

Despite the pleadings of my party, the Government sat on its hands on this issue. Although the State had a 99% share and was effectively the owner of AIB, on behalf of the people of Ireland, the Government washed its hands of it and cried crocodile tears over it as though it could not do anything. Now, outside of the democratic environment and the elected Government of the country, a national newspaper is claiming credit for having moved AIB. This is very dangerous for democracy. Considering the Government was given every opportunity to come out on this issue, there is a very serious disconnect between it and the people. That has been shown by this issue which, with child care, is one of the two major issues affecting people. It is past time the Government started to look at the real issues affecting people, specifically when it comes to mortgage relief. Why, when we have a 99% share of AIB, does the Government say we cannot really do much to influence the bank's decisions? I have asked this before. Who within AIB, following yesterday's meeting, eventually decided to move towards reducing variable mortgage rates and what are the reasons for the decision?

I would not say that, in fairness.

I say this directly to AIB: let us not have a token reduction. The tracker mortgage rate is 1%, yet the variable mortgage rate with AIB and its competitor banks is around 4.25%. Any suggestion they are going to tinker with that variable rate in order to placate mounting public anger towards the banks with a nominal reduction of 0.25% is totally unacceptable. I charge the banks, particularly AIB if it is going to lead on this issue, to make a significant reduction.

I am sure the House will join with me in remembering the estimated 4,000 Irish men who died in Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, the first day of the landings. An estimated 70,000 Turkish troops were also killed in that awful tragedy during the First World War. These 4,000 soldiers from all over Ireland, representing the various regiments of the time such as the Munsters, the Dublin Fusiliers and, in my own part of the country, the Connaught Rangers, were led "by donkeys", as was subsequently commented. This was to be the most tragic of battles of the First World War. There are still families mourning their grandfathers, grand-uncles and other relations. I hope the House will remember 25 April as a day of infamy when 4,000 Irishmen, hoping they were fighting for the freedom of their own country, gave their lives in the most senseless bloodletting of the First World War. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílis.