Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We could have been spared this inquiry if Deputy Catherine Murphy's questions had been answered at the outset in a fair and comprehensive manner. Unfortunately, that did not occur. This matter is best reflected in a statement by Mr. Justice Liam Hamilton regarding the beef tribunal: "I think that if the questions that were asked in the Dáil were answered in the way they are answered here, there would be no necessity for this inquiry and a lot of money and time would have been saved". That situation has been replicated in this instance.

A memo from a senior official in the Department of Finance reads: "[E]vents over the past few months have led me to question the effectiveness of the management team in IBRC ... I am concerned that the reputation of the IBRC and by extension the State has been damaged as a result of these events." Interestingly enough, according to a 2012 OECD perception report, Ireland had one of the lowest levels of public trust in the governance of State institutions.

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