Ms Josephine Feehily:

Perhaps if I put it this way to the Deputy. During the period when we were doing the Ansbacher and other special investigations, we received in 1999 very considerable additional powers in Revenue which we had not had previously:- first, the powers for the Revenue Commissioners to issue authorisations to officers to call for books and records without having to go to court; second, we received additional resources to support all of these investigations. Perhaps that is evidence - beyond my experience - of political support. In addition I did not experience nor have my colleagues said to me that there is any evidence of any interference.

I would have to refer the Deputy to the fact that these investigations took place under the watch of a number of my predecessors, which were examined in this committee while these were live investigations. I do not think either of those gentlemen were people that one would regard as being likely to be amenable to political interference. Deputy Fleming is smiling because he knows who I am talking about.