Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Former Speaker Pelosi has been a constant friend of Ireland and her and her friends in the Irish Caucus have never wavered in their support for the peace process and for economic activity and development in the country. She had close relations with the last Government and with President Obama. I also was glad to have the opportunity to meet her.

One of the important bilateral issues between Ireland and the US in recent times has been the fact that Washington may have in some way vetoed the writing off of key parts of Irish bank debt in 2010. The Taoiseach has come into the House on many occasions to tell us he is leaving no stone unturned in his efforts to renegotiate the bank debt but he did not raise it with President Obama, as he said to the House in recent weeks, or with Secretary of the Treasury Geithner. The Minister for Finance did not raise the issue with him either. Did the Taoiseach raise the issue with former Speaker Pelosi? As one of the key leaders of the Democratic Party, she has considerable influence.

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