Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, Deputies and others inside and outside the House frequently contact NAMA and are entitled to do so under law. As a matter of fact, NAMA circulated the number of a dedicated helpline and a dedicated email address for Deputies through which they can obtain information from NAMA. It is the practice of many Deputies to get such information on behalf of their community or constituents.

The former Deputy identified in the newspaper article did not inform NAMA of any business relationship with any parties on whose behalf he had made representations. NAMA has no way of knowing the nature of any relationship between public representatives and their correspondents. Any public representative will have a broad range of relationships with constituents and other parties and will make representations on behalf of these parties whether they are personally known to them or otherwise. I am informed that NAMA receives hundreds of written and direct representations from national politicians from across the political spectrum each year on a wide range of NAMA-related topics, including policy- and strategy-related questions and queries on constituency-related matters, including sales processes run by NAMA debtors and receivers. NAMA welcomes this engagement. It enables public representatives to hear the factual position on any given matter directly from NAMA rather than through third parties, who often have a vested interest.

It is important that elected representatives feel free to engage with NAMA. NAMA is a public body delivering on a public mandate set by the Oireachtas, and members of that Oireachtas have to be able to engage directly with NAMA. None of the representations that NAMA has received from public representatives or the engagements it has had with them falls within the category of lobbying and none is in breach of the NAMA Act. That is the information I have been provided with.

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