Eugene Regan (Fine Gael)

There is an issue I again want to raise, which the Leader has not addressed. It was ultimately a question for the Minister for Finance, namely, the appointment last September of Arthur Cox solicitors as advisers to the Minister and Department of Finance as regards the bank guarantee scheme. This was done without tender and there was a certain urgency, which was the justification provided by the Minister at the time. Now they are being retained in that capacity to advise on NAMA.

I also pointed out in the House that they are legal advisers to Bank of Ireland and they were recently appointed by the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, in relation to NAMA. There are conflicts of interest here. There are, at least, five or six major law firms in this city that have the same capacity as Arthur Cox. This is the type of Fianna Fáil cronyism which has destroyed the economy. There are issues here of compliance with EU public procurement rules, but conflict of interest and cronyism appears to be the crucial issue. This same legal firm is advising developers. Developers are moving their business to Arthur Cox because they believe they have the inside track on NAMA. This is a very unsatisfactory situation.

The Minister for Finance is coming to the House tomorrow. I ask the Leader that he addresses this very important question to him, as it smacks of the type of Fianna Fáil cronyism that has brought the economy to the perilous state it is in today.