Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is fine. Our party leader spoke to the Minister and told him that we wanted the Department's brief included. The Minister has included a narrow amendment on specific transactions and only the judge can determine which will be examined fully. The Minister has excluded from full examination his Department's remit, his own remit as shareholder and the remit of his senior officials in terms of the relationship with IBRC during the period covered by the terms of reference. This is not satisfactory. The Minister has limited the terms specifically.

We asked the Minister to reduce the threshold of €10 million but he has chosen not to do so. This is not satisfactory. We also asked him to publish an interim report, but he refused to do so. He has rejected our party's three requests. This is our starting point. The Minister has a commission of sorts. While we would welcome it, these terms fall short of what is required.

I listened to the last two Government speakers. They accused us of light-touch regulation of the banking sector while we were in government. They tried to put my party under the spotlight. However, something happened during this Government's lifetime. The Moriarty tribunal report was presented to the Dáil under the Government's watch. That report detailed matters of corruption relating to when the Minister, Deputy Noonan, and other Ministers were last in government. This Government has done nothing to pursue that corruption. Not only was the Minister's former Government involved in corruption, but the current one has received the report of the Moriarty tribunal confirming this and done nothing to investigate that corruption. It is allowing that corruption to continue unchecked. Corruption was identified, but no action has been taken in response. The Government is presiding over a situation in which that corruption is going unchecked. Ministers opposite have said that Fianna Fáil has tried to put the past behind us.

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