Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yes, that is correct. In fact, at the finance committee yesterday, a motion was brought forward asking for different individuals to come before that committee.

On legal advice that motion was withdrawn on the basis that the commercial interactions, be it around Siteserv and the commercial wisdom of decisions made, are not for that committee or for our committee to scrutinise or second-guess. The point was made very strongly that the policy oversight, as well as the political oversight and interaction between the system and the IBRC, Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, is very much a legitimate space. It is not something KPMG will delve into. It will be very much a technical and, in my view, a wholly inadequate mechanism for investigating all of these matters. I support what the Chairman is doing and I would hope that we would have the relevant documentation in advance of next week's meeting so we can prepare ourselves for the exchange.

The second question is this but I do not know if it can be answered today. We need to get some clarity from the Minister because he has made several references to committees of the House and he has referenced our committee in particular. We need to know not only that we will be in receipt of whatever report KPMG produces but to what end. What level of scrutiny at the end of the day will we be able to apply to such a report, giving our remit, standing orders, Abbeylara, etc?

It strikes me there is a strong element of playing for time on the part of the Government. We are being referenced as part of a very drawn-out sequence. That is my own view. Apparently, we are going to get this report. We are not sure what form it will take or the level of data and information we will be given, however. The experience has been that all of these interactions are cloaked in a veil of commercial sensitivity. We have no guarantee that this will not be the case when we finally see the report from KPMG. We receive it but what next? What level of scrutiny will we be able to apply to it?