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

Nearly every significant debate involved calls for policies to spend more and tax less. The manifestos of the main parties, including my own, for the 2007 general election were all silent on the impending crisis.

As I stated, if the inquiry is allowed by the Government to be independent and expert in its work and operate under broad rather than narrow terms of reference, it could make a major contribution to increasing public understanding of the banking crisis. I have nominated Deputy Michael McGrath as my party’s representative to the Dáil element of the committee’s membership. As he indicated, he will do his work in the spirit of helping to ensure that it is a rigorous and meaningful inquiry.

Let the inquiry be free of the partisan politics we have seen in the past. Let it avoid the trap of claiming revelations where information is already known. Let it be genuinely expert and driven by a wish to understand rather than exploit this deep and damaging crisis. It is in this spirit that the Fianna Fáil Party supports the proposal before the House.

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