Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In a few months' time, it will have been three years since I asked the Minister a parliamentary question on the sale of Project Eagle. When I asked him about the process and bidders - the Minister might read the transcript, given that he is leaving the Chamber - he told me before the sale was concluded that everything was okay. We now see that everything was not okay. Indeed, a deeply corrupted process was in place.

It is a year since the Comptroller and Auditor General produced a report suggesting a probable loss to the Irish taxpayer of £190 million, or €220 million, as a result of the Project Eagle sale. Four months ago, I represented Sinn Féin at a meeting where a consensus was reached among the representatives of all political parties and Independents that a commission of investigation should be established. As such, why are we back in the Chamber discussing a commission of investigation? We are not even discussing whether there will be one. As the Minister tellingly stated: "A commission of investigation, if progressed". He also stated: "If there is a political desire to advance a commission of investigation". This stance is clearly a row-back by the Minister from the Taoiseach's stated position at the meeting on 15 September, where consensus was reached that there would be a commission of investigation.

I believed that I had seen the end of the Fianna Fáil flip-flops on this issue. It prevented a commission of investigation being established when Deputy Wallace tabled a motion in the House and stated that no commission should be established until all legal cases had been concluded, which will be in a number of years' time. Thankfully, Deputy Michael McGrath is now saying that a commission needs to be established, but he is concerned that it will not be concluded before the end of 2017, as per the Taoiseach's statement. Within minutes, however, Deputy Fleming said that there should be no commission of investigation. Indeed, we should not even be discussing a the terms of reference until both Houses of the Oireachtas finishes their scrutiny of the report of the Committee of Public Accounts.

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