Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

-----shoot the breeze or talk in a social way with people with whom I was acquainted. While it might help the Deputy to believe me if I said I discussed a lot of things relating to Anglo Irish Bank, that did not happen. I will not say it happened just because it might make me more plausible to him. I have to explain it to him the way it was and that is it. I do not want to over egg the issue but these are the facts.

In regard to the question of regret, we know a lot of things have happened since then. At no time during those contacts was I asked to do anything inappropriate by the person concerned. I remember the telephone call as taking place on 20 March because we had finished our official engagements at that point. I had been informed by the Governor of the Central Bank of the emerging market intelligence on the issue arising in Anglo Irish Bank regarding CFDs and the position taken by Mr. Quinn. I was away on St. Patrick's Day, when the share price was hit very hard. Mr. Fitzpatrick informed me about those developments. To paraphrase, I said to him: "Fair enough, I will talk to the Central Bank Governor and you can arrange to take it up with the appropriate authorities to see how this matter can be proceeded with from here." A meeting took place the following day with the appropriate authorities in the Central Bank and it moved on from there.

When I was asked specifically in the Dáil about this famous dinner, I was dealing with the issues that arose in the context of the questions. What happened in respect of that telephone call was already in the public domain. Comments had already been made on the issue in early March. What would presumably have emerged from the meeting was an outline for the authorities as to where they saw the thing at that stage, what was happening and what was the extent of it. When the current Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, came in, as I said, I outlined that. In July, that part of the issue had supposedly been resolved. I am not saying it was resolved because, as we know, due diligence conducted subsequently revealed all these matters had to be investigated in terms of how that was organised.

These are the facts. I have no more knowledge than that other than what comes into the public domain or is reported to the Cabinet. I assure the House, for the final time, that we are all in politics. To answer the question about perception, I am acutely aware that people can draw wrong conclusions because we are in a fraught atmosphere and subsequent events occurred that were obviously projected back onto those issues. I want to make it clear that I have always sought, to the best of my ability, to do this job in the appropriate and proper manner. We all know right from wrong and I try to do the very best I can. As I have said, I have never accused anyone else in any other Government of not doing the best by their own lights or doing what they think is the right thing in the circumstances.

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