Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is fair to say the general public was sickened when the Minister decided not to exercise his right to vote against the remuneration of the CEO of Bank of Ireland, Richie Boucher, who receives a salary of €843,000. He holds the citizens' votes in trust. He holds them on behalf of the citizens who bailed out the bank. I would like to join Deputy McGrath in asking the Minister to explain the decision. Did the Minister receive formal advice from within the Department or from the Central Bank? Did he receive any advice that was contrary to the direction he has taken? Will he make the advice public? If not, will it be available under freedom of information? It is very important for us to know what type of advice the Minister is getting on this issue and other issues. If he decides to sell the shares in one of our banks, for example, it could be a very negative issue for the State and its directed investment if the wrong price is achieved. Some banks have lost substantial sums of money because they sold at the wrong time. Will the Minister make the advice available? Did he receive any contrary advice on the remuneration issue?

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