Mr. Brendan McDonagh:

I was interested in the role. I fully accept that I am a well-paid person, but I believe I have demonstrated that I can add value. By the end of the life of NAMA, I will have delivered in excess of €5 billion back to the Exchequer. I led a team that did that. I also have experience of dealing with complex property assets. If you look at the second part of the Dublin docklands, from the convention centre down to the Point Village across from the south docks, you will see it is double its original size. The IFSC - I was involved heavily in that. I was also involved in NAMA’s housing programme, which has contributed over 42,000 units since we started funding it in 2014. I have a lot of knowledge. I am not an engineer, but I have picked up many things. I am a quick learner. I picked up many things over the years regarding things I have known have gone wrong or could potentially go wrong. I know many people who could help. I believed that if I had those skills, I could do something. We are all affected by the housing crisis, and most of us have kids. I genuinely believed I had something to offer. If I knew there was an issue with people not supporting me, I clearly would never have allowed my name to go forward, but I was not aware of that until afterwards.