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

I find it unbelievable that the Minister of Finance - the person who advised a discreet and confidential process - was giving no end of advice to people on how to proceed and yet he is saying he had no role in this commercial deal. When he attended the committee, I asked him a straight question whether he believed there was a good deal or not and he said he would not comment. He was advising in terms of progressing this deal, yet he could not make an adjudication, as the Minister for Finance for this country, as to whether there was a probable loss.