Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

I think the analysis of Deputy O’Donnell is spot on. There was a problem with the quality of record-keeping in Bord na gCon at the time. We pointed this out to Bord na gCon in the 2008 report and in management letters and so on.

From the records that exist I have seen no evidence of any external involvement in those decisions.

We did not see any correspondence with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht or with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in relation to 2003, 2004 and into 2005 when a decision was initially being made on the purchase of Meelick.