Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Let us return to the meetings. The meeting in Clare that happened on 16 or 17 September 2017 took place when there were two other bidders in the race. It took place in the context of SIRO making it clear that it would possibly not remain in the race. Let us return to what Deputy Smith said earlier. The average punter thinks Mr. Smyth and everybody else involved believes in fairy tales if they think there was no discussion of the national broadband plan at any time during that encounter. The then Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment and one of the bidders were in a convivial environment. They had a dinner at the home of one of the bidders. Mr. Smyth does not believe there was any chance whatsoever of such discussion taking place and he is basing his assumption on telephone calls he has had with the participants. These statements taken by Mr. Smyth, which were not sworn statements, followed all of the other participants saying they did not discuss the national broadband plan when they were confronted with the matter in public prior to Mr. Smyth's investigation. Mr. Smyth has not made any sort of finding. He has not raised any concern. Does Mr. Smyth accept that if the national broadband plan was discussed at that particular point in September 2017, when there were two other bidders in the race, that would have given rise to considerable concern?