Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is not often I feel I can advise the Taoiseach, but he is handling this in exactly the same way as he handled other issues, dragging it out and drip feeding it bit by bit. I asked three simple questions. Why was the recommendation for Alan Dukes to initiate a fully independent review not acted on? The Taoiseach did not answer the question. What were the other transactions of over €100 million that gave concern to Department of Finance officials? The Taoiseach did not answer this question. I asked whether the Taoiseach will hold a fully independent inquiry into the matter, and he did not answer. The reason this came to public attention, aside from the sterling work done by Deputy Catherine Murphy, is that one of the bidders complained. That is why it came to the attention of the Department and the Minister. The issue goes to the heart of the relationship between governance in this State and big business, whether it involves a Fine Gael and Labour Party Government or Fianna Fáil. This concerns compliance and subservience to the golden circles and the elite, the links to all of this and the despicable attitude which contrasts with the Government's dealings with ordinary citizens who are impoverished, unemployed and scattered throughout the globe because of the Government's austerity policies. IBRC was a bank made up of Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide, two corrupt, failed banks that cost the people €34 billion, which this Government has pledged to pay in full.

The former chairman of IBRC is the former leader of Fine Gael. Siteserv owed IBRC €150 million and it was sold for €45 million to a company owned by Denis O'Brien. It wrote down the debt by just over €100 million and shareholders received a €5 million backhander from the sale. That is incredible, given that the company was effectively bust.

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