Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy should not assert in here that somebody was trying to restrict or not send information that is relevant.

All of this information carried with it a confidentiality warning from the Department of Finance, not in all of the papers but in some of them. That confidentiality applied in many other commissions of investigation. It can and has been overruled in the public interest by the person chairing the commission of investigation.

As the Deputy knows, we have had commissions of investigation into the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, child sexual abuse, the Leas Cross nursing home, the banking sector and so on, where matters of confidentiality were overruled in the public interest. This is the first time, however, that a judge, in this case Mr. Justice Cregan, has pointed out from his perspective and independent determination that he cannot go any further. I want him to be able to go further, and I am quite sure everybody else in the House does as well.

In the interests of everybody and the accountability and transparency the Deputy has spoken about, we should be allowed to receive his completed interim report. It is to be hoped it will be released very quickly. When authorisation is received to publish it as soon as possible afterwards, it can be discussed in the House so that the Dáil and later the Seanad can make decisions about how best to proceed in order to have accountability, transparency and full compliance.

People in IBRC are also concerned that their good name is being shoved aside. In the interests of all of the transactions in respect of which there was a write-down of over €10 million, we need to be able to deal with this issue in whatever form. The Office of the Attorney General is examining some of the options that might be considered following the determination of the judge now published. I would like to wait to get the interim report, discuss it at Cabinet level and in the Oireachtas and make the necessary decisions so that the commission of investigation can get on with its business with openness, accountability and transparency and, in the public interest, deal with the issues that have been raised by Deputies, including Deputy Murphy.

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