Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

I said on television earlier that I believe the Minister is honest and honourable and I believe that. The Minister needs to clarify this matter on the record of the House. How is it that the Minister for Finance did not know four days prior to the introduction of the bank guarantee scheme that Anglo Irish Bank was selling itself, lock, stock and barrel, to Bank of Ireland. The Minister gave assurances in this House that only issues of liquidity and not insolvency had arisen, thus encouraging Fine Gael to vote for the guarantee.

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