Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

Has the Minister obtained any independent estimate of the cost of these various options within Anglo Irish Bank? I ask that question because I heard him quote in the past documents coming from Anglo Irish Bank in respect of its estimate. It based that estimate on the basis that the loans being transferred to NAMA were worth €26 billion when it transpired it was out by €7 billion. There was a massive gap. Are we depending on the somewhat rose-tinted assessments that are conducted within Anglo Irish Bank for the direction of public policy in this area or has the Minister independent assessment? If so, will he publish that assessment?

It cannot have escaped the attention of the Minister that even the former chairman of the finance committee is now taking issue with the notion of Anglo Irish Bank as a going concern and believes we should opt for an orderly wind-down. Has the Minister moved away from the notion that Anglo is a going concern? Has he abandoned that which was the pillar of the Government's approach for a very long time and repeated time and again by him and the Taoiseach?

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