Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Week after week, the Taoiseach comes in and says he has taken the opportunity to raise issues with foreign leaders or to update them. We take it these leaders would be aware of all the issues from the briefing notes they get. I asked about one of the big issues but any time someone from the Government meets someone from the US Government, this is the one question no one will ask: did Secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner, veto an attempt to write down Irish debt or to make senior bondholders make a contribution at the famous G7 meeting. Did he or did he not? The Taoiseach has not raised the issue with President Obama. Did he raise it with former Speaker Pelosi? The Minister for Finance would not raise it with the Secretary of the Treasury. It is a big issue and very interesting and we would like to hear from the US Government its reasons and perspectives for not wanting senior bank bondholders to make a contribution to the resolution of the situation at that time. It is widely reported but for some reason every time we raise the issue in the House we get a blank stare and no answer.

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