Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their contributions. My colleague when questioning the Minister for Finance made reference to no smoke without fire, which generated plenty of chuckles. However, during these hearings, there has been plenty of stoking of the coals. Every so often, little sparks emanate and we get nuggets of information but it is taking plenty of stoking to get them. One of the core points that is ultimately our objective to examine is the issue of a probable loss. Mr. McEnery and the NAMA chairman stressed this was a good deal. The Minister for Finance has wished us well in finding the truth. The question of motivation is central. Mr. Soffe said in his opening contribution that the process would not continue if it was not competitive and three times he said that no political pressure was brought to bear. I would like to reflect on what the Minister for Finance said during his appearance before the committee because he was at pains to present what he called "a context" for what was happening in the overall economy. I find this strange. Why would the Minister, who was at pains to say he was at a remove from NAMA's commercial decisions and is prohibited from being involved in them, detail context for us? He spoke of how the impaired loans were a drag on Ireland and its ability to re-enter the bond market and at that point, he swivelled in his chair and he pointed towards the Comptroller and Auditor, saying, "You did not have the ECB or the troika breathing down your neck". This is unbelievable stuff. It equated to an attack on Mr. McCarthy. Given those statements, did the NAMA board members have the Minister breathing down their necks? Did he influence, pressurise or even suggest that they get this done as quickly as possible and get it in the bag?