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

The timing of the release of the documentation by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, and his Department is very telling. The experience to date has reflected the fact that the Minister has been markedly reluctant to give a full account and to answer questions on all the issues pertaining to NAMA and, more specifically, to the Northern loan book, Project Eagle. In order to be helpful, the documents would have had to have been published earlier this week. It might have proved helpful. They have been published, and I have had the opportunity only to scan them. This leads us to a position in which we must invite the Minister, Deputy Noonan, and his officials to come before the committee at the earliest opportunity so we can examine and question the contents of the documents they have put into the public domain.

Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Mr. Martin McGuinness, MLA, has been in contact with the clerk to the committee seeking the earliest opportunity to come and give evidence, which would be useful. After this meeting, we are to deal with the issue of Mr. Bryson, and we can deal with it then. We also need to consider hearing evidence from Mr. Sammy Wilson, former finance minister in the North, Mr. Simon Hamilton and the First Minister, Mr. Peter Robinson, MLA. For the purposes of this jurisdiction, it is unthinkable, having released the documentation at the 11th hour, that the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, would not very promptly make himself available to the committee, along with his officials.