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

I can only deal with the documents in front of me, as I am sure Ms Nolan can appreciate. Earlier, an issue was mentioned that has been of some comment. It relates to the appropriate discount rate applied to the portfolio. It is the position of the Department of Finance in this regard that NAMA was right and the Comptroller and Auditor General was wrong. We could get no evidence, bar retrospective commentary, to back up the choice of a lower discount rate. I ask the Minister and perhaps his officials, more appropriately, on what basis does he come down on the side of the lower discount. I say this because he has gone to some lengths to say he is not across the detail and the Department does not get into the minutiae. How is it that the Department arrived at that conclusion? Mr. Reid was attributed as arriving at that conclusion.