Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support these amendments. The need to ensure that records and transcripts of telephone calls between landlines and mobiles are made available to be used in any inquiry, whether a banking inquiry and whether an inquiry of this House, has been well rehearsed in the House in recent weeks, and highlighted very starkly for everybody. They would provide a complete record of the evidence which would be required for an Oireachtas inquiry to ensure we get the complete picture of what happened when crucial decisions were made.

It would be interesting to see recordings of the incorporeal Cabinet meetings which took place over the telephone on the fateful night when the bank guarantee was introduced, but I suppose they would be probably covered by Cabinet confidentiality. It might be possible to waive this confidentiality in the interests of hearing the full story of what happened with regard to the bank guarantee. If the calls were recorded this evidence should be available, in the interests of the committee and the people, to ensure the full story comes out. It should be included in the definitions and if the Minister states it is I ask him to outline exactly where so we can have clarity and so that in future no doubt will arise in this regard.

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