The Governor of the Central Bank has said he believes there will be an inquiry into the causes of the recent crisis in the Irish banking system.
Speaking on 'The Week in Politics', to be broadcast tonight, Professor Patrick Honohan said he could not fully understand why the country's oldest banks fell into a trap where they could lose a lot of money.
He said current investigations under way into the banks are vigorous and he believes that nobody is trying to slow down that process.
For the future, Mr Honohan added that much could be learned from the ‘hands on’ supervision of US banks.
He said that in one or two years time he expects the banks here to be strong and confident and at that point foreign investors will want to buy the shares the Government holds in the banks.
He said that it is quite possible that the Government will have a majority stake in the banks for a period - but it would in the long-term sell those shares to investors.
Earlier this week, the Governor told an Oireachtas Committee that he would like to have seen a greater proportion of risk-sharing between the banks and the State in the establishment of the National Asset Management Agency.
