Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 16 July 2015

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis

Nexus Phase

Mr. Paul Gallagher:

No, I didn't maintain notes, it's not my habit of doing so. I was focused in on the matters that were of concern to me, which were the legal issues. But what I did do, Deputy, and you've heard this, I recorded the relevant facts that were relevant, the legal issues, that I had to address. And I did so ... my letter is dated 1 October but I believe I dictated it on 29 October because I note in my letter that I said the opening ... sorry, that it was on 30 October, because I refer to "yesterday" being the 29th so I believe I did that on the 30th. The purpose of that was to provide legal advice to the Government on the state aid. My concern was to marshal all of the facts that needed to be provided to the Commission to get state aid, which was a very serious legal concern. And those facts involved the basis for the decision - what were the concerns the Government had to address, why this was necessary ... because remember, to get state aid approval, and none of this could have been brought into law, you had to satisfy the Commission that the decision and the measure was necessary. And that's ... so I have a very clear recollection of the evidence.