Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach should have put in his reply that he did not speak to them specifically. That is the key point of all the questions I have asked. Three weeks ago, those Ministers for Finance made a significant statement about their understanding of the June deal on the separation of Government debt from bank debt. It is incredible the Taoiseach has not held any discussions or contacted their leaders on the Irish position and the Irish response to that statement and that he did not take the opportunity to contact them by phone or arrange a meeting with them to make the Irish position crystal clear and have genuine dialogue at Head of State level, which is the only route to resolve the clear differences of interpretation that have emerged since the June meeting.

It is also an incredible admission by the Taoiseach that he has not circulated any detailed material to other leaders since June. Of course our interests will be ignored by other countries if we leave them alone and do not follow up on decisions taken by the European summit and by the leaders of Europe, and if we sit back and let the entire summer pass without any action on our part to pursue our agenda.

Given the Taoiseach has held no discussions with their leaders, before or after the June summit, and certainly since the statement was made three weeks ago, how does he know the understanding of the Prime Ministers of those three countries of the June deal? Is the Taoiseach satisfied the Prime Ministers of Holland, Finland and Germany share the same understanding of the June decision as him? Can he explain how he knows their understanding of the deal?

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