Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senior officials. I took it as par for the course in my job as Chairman to deal with that and move on.

I am now putting on record that I think the fact we did our work has strengthened the committee, despite people's efforts to undermine us. We are a stronger committee for it. With regard to NAMA, I have served on this committee for a couple of terms and, during those terms and perhaps this term, I have often been critical of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and why issues were coming to light that had not been highlighted earlier. I was told NAMA had a dossier prepared of all my previous comments on the Comptroller and Auditor General over a period of several years and that, if we were backing up the Comptroller and Auditor General, that would be used to show that I had no problem criticising him on previous occasions but was not necessarily going down that road now. I was made aware that was there. I have no problem; I am proud of everything I have said during previous PAC meetings.

I am just saying, as Chairman, I have come under pressures from three sources, none of which influenced me one way or the other in terms of completing our work. I actually think we are stronger for having withstood that pressure, despite people's efforts to limit what we might actually say. The conversation with the Minister is there.

On Deputy MacSharry’s point, I personally hold no personal angst against the Minister for Finance. We are here a long time and we have good, friendly and cordial relations. He came over to me last night during the course of the vote on the floor of the House to shake my hand and ask if we could make up and move on. We shook hands and said, "Let us move on." There is no personal angst but there is a serious professional disagreement between us.

I know people will be surprised by what I am saying. In our report, there are two paragraphs out of 101 pages in respect of our comments on the Minister. There are three full pages from the Minister on his view of what we had to say about him. In fact, in terms of fairness, he has been given far more space for his views. For anyone to suggest he did not have an opportunity, there are three pages of a letter from him on his views of the matter in our report. That is more than fair play.