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

There are six questions in this group on the appointment during the summer of the President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, as well as of Donald Tusk, Federica Mogherini and Phil Hogan. I have tabled two questions. It is fair to say one of the more consistent factors in the past three years is that Ireland regularly supports people for major European posts without asking them questions. The most dramatic and remarkable was when the Taoiseach agreed to the appointment of Mario Draghi as President of the ECB without even meeting him, let alone asking him about his attitude towards Ireland's issues with the ECB. We have issues with it, yet there was no discussion of them with Mr. Draghi. All the indications are that, once again, we have signed off on appointments without seeking assurances on fundamental policies.

The Taoiseach will remember that it is about seven weeks since the single supervisory mechanism was brought into operation. That is the deadline he set himself for applying for retrospective aid to help us with bank-related debt. He said over two years ago that Ireland had been dealt with unfairly by the ECB and the European Commission and that in order to preserve the eurozone and in the absence of a bank resolution mechanism in 2010, the European Union had forced individual states into positions into which it should not have forced them. I understand the Government has made no application for retrospective bank debt aid and it appears that none will be made. The Taoiseach has not said one word about it. New office holders are in place and the policy remains the same. I can recall how a year or two ago the Taoiseach trumpeted the idea of a single supervisory mechanism as the key catalyst in moving on Ireland's bank-related debt and seeking retrospection. He will remember the then Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, talking about a seismic change and how the Ministers for Public Expenditure and Reform and Finance talked about billions coming back to the country as a result of the famous summit but nothing has actually happened. Will he confirm that he sought no assurance from President Juncker on bank debts before he agreed to his appointment? It is clear enough from what he has just said that he wrote a letter to President Juncker, but it was all about fixing up Mr. Hogan whom I welcome in the agriculture portfolio. That is fine, but it seems strange that in the letter the Taoiseach did not mention anything about Ireland's bank-related debt and the degree to which the European Union owes Ireland some recompense in dealing with banking issues. The Taoiseach says he had a great relationship with him; therefore, I find it strange that he did not press these issues with him prior to his appointment. Will he indicate how his relationship with President Juncker has helped Ireland on the issues of bank-related debt and retrospection?

The Luxembourg tax story, the subject matter of another question, points mainly to President Juncker's hypocrisy in criticising Ireland in the case of Apple. Ireland was unfairly and deliberately singled out by the Commission. Calling for President Juncker's resignation is not sustainable at this point in time because there is no evidence of any illegality and nobody has produced any evidence, but I find the Government's silence on the matter somewhat incredible. Has the Taoiseach recorded Ireland's demand that all countries, including Luxembourg and the Netherlands, be treated equally and examined at the same time in taxation issues?

On Ms Mogherini's appointment, will the Taoiseach explain whether he discussed her approach to the job with her before agreeing to her appointment? In particular, did he seek assurances that she would not continue the Italian policy of ignoring or downgrading the importance of Russian aggression against Ukraine and the partition of Russia's neighbour, which is a very important issue? Did he have any discussion with her prior to her appointment on the situation in Ukraine and Russia's unacceptable aggression?

Did the Taoiseach ask Donald Tusk, the new President of the Council, to support Ireland's case for full justice on the issue of debt before agreeing to his appointment? What discussions did he have with him before his appointment? In short, it seems that he readily agreed to all of these appointments without in any shape or form presenting Ireland's case for retrospection in the matter of bank-related debt, an issue about which he spoke frequently some years ago but on which he has become strangely silent in more recent times.

See this speech in context