Part of Loans to Ireland Bill (Allocation of Time) – in the House of Commons at 1:34 pm on 15 December 2010.
Jo Johnson
Conservative, Orpington
1:34,
15 December 2010
The Chancellor speaks of a comprehensive solution. Does he recognise that we face not only a crisis of liquidity in Portugal, Greece and Ireland, which we are assisting bilaterally, but a crisis of solvency? The solvency crisis will require us to address not just Irish bank restructuring, but Ireland's sovereign debt-it is impossible to distinguish the two, given that the Irish state has guaranteed all the Irish banking system's liabilities-and the solvency of other peripheral eurozone economies. We are helping with financing, but we have not yet addressed the fundamental solvency of those peripheral countries.
The Chancellor - also known as "Chancellor of the Exchequer" is responsible as a Minister for the treasury, and for the country's economy. For Example, the Chancellor set taxes and tax rates. The Chancellor is the only MP allowed to drink Alcohol in the House of Commons; s/he is permitted an alcoholic drink while delivering the budget.