Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank and commend my Independent colleague, Deputy Catherine Murphy, for her excellent work on this issue and for some of the questions she has raised in the Dáil over the past year or so. People are getting sick and tired of being fobbed off. We need to get to the heart of the matter. We were promised a new type of government, openness and transparency, and here we go again. All that people want are the facts and the truth. Maybe there is nothing in it. I have a completely open mind on this issue. I am not into the blame game. People have genuine concerns and the only way to resolve this matter is through a full independent commission of inquiry.

The senior officials in the Department of Finance have raised concerns about the other IBRC sales. In 2012 Siteserv owed €150 million to IBRC. In March 2012 IBRC sold Siteserv for €45 million. External trade buyers were excluded. Some bidders were also excluded. Siteserv shareholders received €5 million at the time of the sale. There are genuine concerns about the sale of Siteserv for €45 million by IBRC. I support the call for a commission of inquiry to be set up to examine the circumstances surrounding and leading to the sale of Siteserv in March 2012, and other company sell-offs by IBRC, so that the interests of the Irish people can be fully protected in a transparent way. We need to deal with conflict of interest matters as the Irish people never again want to see this country ripped off by a group of insiders or cheesy operators.

I urge all Deputies to support this very important motion calling for a commission of inquiry. I commend Deputy Catherine Murphy on her work on this issue. It shows the constant need for independent voices in this House who are not afraid to ask the hard questions.

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