Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not engage in low partisan politics. We set up a non-partisan, all-party Oireachtas committee to deal with the banking inquiry. When it starts its work, it will get down to No. 119 and many of the items listed are inconsequential. They were the days leading up to the most momentous economic decision in the history of the State and the records have all been released under freedom of information legislation. I would have expected, at a time when the country was entering into a difficult economic recession, that there would have been regular meetings about the seriousness of the matter, but that was not the case. There is a faxed cover sheet regarding a Iris Oifigiúil notice, No. 87; an Iris Oifigiúilnotice regarding the NTMA delegation of functions order; a letter from the Clerk of the Seanad; a memorandum for the Government and a submission slip regarding a memo, No. 79.

These things are available under the Department's system for examination by the Oireachtas committee and I am sure it will go through each of them. There are notes of a telephone call by the Taoiseach with the then British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, points for telephone discussion with the Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, an e-mail from the Office of the Attorney General including a letter to the Taoiseach, and so on. These are all elements of what is on file. I had expected that when it came to the most serious economic catastrophe that ever befell our country, I would have access to whatever discussions took place with banks or bank officials who were calling in to Government buildings for discussions with the Taoiseach and so on. There is a note of a telephone call between the Secretary General and the general manager of DEPFA Bank.

In that sense, I found that of all the information I read, most of the notes are completely inconsequential. There was one letter of substance, which I think Deputy Martin has in his possession.

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