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

Why would I ask that? It is as obvious as the nose on one's face that it is irrelevant to the Minister for Finance but what is highly relevant is what he did and what decisions he took when this conflict of interest emerged. I will move on.

From NAMA's briefing document, we were told the Department of Finance, following a meeting with the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General in early June 2016, indicated its surprise at the Comptroller and Auditor General's lack of knowledge of the loan sales market and advised that it would benefit greatly from external advice. As it happens, by June 2016 we are on draft three of the Comptroller and Auditor General report, so I am assuming the meeting happened in that context. NAMA cites a specific meeting where this allegation was made that there was insufficient expertise in the Comptroller and Auditor General's office. It is on paper.