Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Taoiseach did not deal with any of the questions I asked. I asked him if the papers exist. Ms Justice Laffoy sought discovery of papers that would buttress the interviews given by the former Minister, Deputy Woods. She said in her report, "The committee is not satisfied that since its establishment, it has received the level of co-operation which it is entitled to receive from the Department of State which is its statutory sponsor". Those are very strong judicial words.

I put it to the Taoiseach the reason her order for discovery was not complied with was that, if the Department furnished such papers, it would show that there was no basis or justification for the apportionment of liability agreed by the Government with the religious congregations. The Taoiseach and the former Minister, Deputy Woods, did a fix-it deal. They plucked a figure out of the air.

Everybody in this House accepts that the State has some culpability but, in circumstances where the Controller and Auditor General estimates that the liability could amount to €1 billion, the Taoiseach and the Minister fixed a deal at €128 million, behind closed doors on the basis of an oral presentation, without a memorandum and without the involvement of the then Attorney General.

The reason no papers were furnished on discovery to Ms Justice Laffoy is because they do not exist. The Taoiseach and the former Minister plucked a figure out of the air. The Government is the custodian of the public finances and it is a disgraceful arrangement on behalf of the Irish taxpayer.

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