John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Yes, I am sorry, it is not the US Marine Corps. Claims have been made recently in the media regarding fire-sales of NAMA assets. I am a member of the Committee of Public Accounts for four years and, since NAMA came in to this committee, the sale of assets and the timeliness of the sale of assets has been a point of debate. At the first meeting I made the case that, given the projections for an improved commercial and residential market, some caution should be applied and we should wait until the markets improved before disposal of assets. As time has gone on, it was my understanding that, in some cases, NAMA was being criticised for not selling certain assets as quickly as some people would have liked. NAMA was caught between a rock and a hard place - on the one hand having to bring money in to the Exchequer and on the other hand, noting the improvements in the housing and commercial market, holding onto serious assets that would improve in value as time went on. For the people who work out of the Comptroller and Auditor General's office, within NAMA, that is part of their review, part of what they do when it comes to the correct time to sell assets. Does the Comptroller and Auditor General have a view on what Deputy Wallace has said recently or is it something that the Comptroller and Auditor General's office is engaged in on a regular basis?