Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has a general oversight responsibility for this commercial semi-State body. As the Government, through the Department, has a general oversight responsibility here, does the Taoiseach think it appropriate that bankers would authorise lending to the extent that they did for the purchase of an asset, when members of that bank were on the board of the purchasing authority itself? Does having a general oversight responsibility extend to saying something about that?

The operating loss for the authority is €27 million, as is now common knowledge. It is a commercial body that cannot default on its loans. Will the taxpayer fork out €27 million to bail out the Dublin Docklands Development Authority as a result of this, when the taxpayer is also expected to put €27 billion into the same bank?

Deputy Hogan has requested that the Comptroller and Auditor General be involved in an independent audit of the conduct of the DDDA and its financial affairs. Will the Taoiseach authorise this request, so that transparency and accountability can be had in this case?

See this speech in context