Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is no pressure from me or the Department of Finance. What I have outlined in the House is the mandate for NAMA which it is fulfilling very satisfactorily. As market conditions and its perception of them change, NAMA speed up or slows down disposals. I understand market conditions are very good and that NAMA is speeding up disposals. I do not know where the figure of €8 billion came from, but it is obviously a punt in the dark. It is true that there was a speeding up of disposals in 2015 and at the back-end of 2014. However, this was not in response to any instruction from me. It is not my business how the property market is. NAMA is trying to match disposals to the best opportunities in the market and it considers now is a good time to speed up. However, the date for full disposals remains 2018. NAMA's role as a developer of the Dublin docklands and for office and residential projects has allowed it to retain its legal position, but an additional mandate is now being emphasised.

See this speech in context