Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I congratulate Deputy Sean Fleming on bringing this Bill before the House. I agree with much of what has been said on providing for the Central Bank, the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, the Road Safety Authority, RSA and the vocational education committees, VECs, to be brought under the scope of existing freedom of information legislation.

While I welcome this in principle, I am concerned many files in various Departments may be lacking comprehensive and truthful information. I am referring specifically to the Department of Finance and the empty, missing or non-existent file as to what happened specifically on the night of 29 September 2008 when Ireland and its people were sold out. While that event is now history, it beggars belief there is no written record in existence of what happened on that fateful night. It should never happen again where the details of a decision made on a matter of national importance are not recorded. It beggars belief that no written record of what exactly happened is available four years later.

I am concerned about how NAMA conducts its business, a point raised by many colleagues. I have raised concerns before about its lack of transparency in how property is put up for sale privately, and suspicions exist abroad that land owned by this State is sold to a golden circle while Joe and Josephine Public are not allowed the opportunity to bid for such properties on the open market. NAMA is obliged to get the maximum price for land and property it has acquired and for which the taxpayer has paid. If such properties and land are being sold behind closed doors, then the taxpayer and citizens are being short-changed.

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