Minister for the Environment John Gormley has said any inquiry into the banking collapse 'cannot be a fudge' but must ask real questions and get real answers.
The Green Party leader also signalled a clampdown on expenses claimed by local councillors attending conferences, which he said in some cases constituted abuse of the system.
The minister was speaking after a special meeting of his parliamentary party in Co Kildare.
He said his party would be putting forward a number of options to Government on the form of the proposed banking inquiry, which had to be independent, and had to get to the bottom of what happened in the sector.
It should get under way in the first half of this year with an examination of regulatory issues, he said.
Green Party chairman Senator Dan Boyle said there should be Oireachtas involvement but outside expert advice would also be needed.
One model might be the special Oireachtas Sub-Committee established after the rejection of the first Nice Referendum.
On county council expenses, Mr Gormley said he knew from his own experience that some 'so called conferences' that local representatives claimed were not conferences at all.
He said 'an industry' had grown up around conferences attended by councillors.
Under the new regime there will be an upper limit of €4,700 for councillors attending conferences.
He also confirmed the heads of the bill allowing for a directly elected mayor of Dublin - an office which he said would have real powers - had been passed by Government with a view to a poll in June.
