Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 1 October 2015

Public Accounts Committee

National Asset Management Agency: Financial Statements 2014 (Resumed)

10:00 am

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Daly, Mr. McDonagh and their colleagues. It has been a long day. I will briefly address an issue that a number of members mentioned. It would be helpful if NAMA attended the Northern Ireland Assembly's committee meeting to assist in the latter's inquiries. I also agree with those members who asked that another Deputy appear before this committee to help us with our inquiries. He has made various allegations. I do not doubt that those who believe NAMA should go North will be consistent and agree that the Deputy in question should appear here to help us, but that has not happened. It swings both ways.

The Deputy made various remarks in the Chamber. The witnesses mentioned that NAMA's engagement with its debtors had attracted quite a bit of media attention. I will attempt to be reasonable when paraphrasing the Deputy. He referred to a situation in which a debtor paid €30,000 to a NAMA employee and, consequently, was able to exit NAMA. Deputy Ross stated that he accepted NAMA's bona fides, good intentions and assertions that there was no corruption or wrongdoing, but it is a serious allegation of wrongdoing against NAMA and an agent for whom it is responsible. Are the witnesses aware of whom the other Deputy was referring to and can they comment on the matter? It is on the public record and is a statement that challenges NAMA's integrity, something that no committee member has done while I have been present today.

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