Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

While the Government had intended that somehow the cost would be at arm's length from the State's own finances and budgets, that cannot now be the case due to what we heard from EUROSTAT. Therefore this is a very major issue. The Minister for Finance only told this House the full extent of the requirement for finance of this bank in April this year. What was the state of the Government's information about the requirement from Anglo Irish Bank for additional funding in February 2009 when the Government directed the bank to doctor the information that was being issued to the public? That is the first question.

The Taoiseach has not addressed the second question, but made it sound as if the bank just sent in the draft statement from the chairman for observation. According to this article, the Department of Finance redrafted the statement. It drafted what it calls a "less negative version". Is that true or not, because it seems to be a serious matter? If there was a gloss put on the information that was put out, this is serious, but it is doubly serious if that was done at the instigation of Government through the Department of Finance.

Can the Taoiseach square these developments with the relationship framework, which I understand the European Union requires to have established between the State and Anglo Irish Bank as a condition for approving the arrangements arrived at for that bank? A reply was given to Deputy Burton by the Minister for Finance only a couple of days ago, in which he stated that in the interests of facilitating compliance with EU state aid and competition policy, the relationship framework recognises the separation of Anglo Irish Bank from the Minister and limits intervention by the Minister in the conduct of the bank's day to day commercial activities.

What does the Taoiseach believe the European Commission is going to think of this report in the Sunday Times, which he has not denied, that states the Government had a hands-on approach in writing what in fact turns out to be a false statement on the financial position of the bank?

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