Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

----- to question him on the matter if we felt so inclined. We did not. Again, we were remiss in that regard as well. I regret entirely that, as Deputy Cassells said himself at the launch of the report, it was descending into a debate about Project Eagle and all the rest of it, when we had in fact covered the issues already. I agreed with him. However, the reason the Fine Gael members objected to the two matters that were included, and indeed, as Deputy Connolly rightly pointed out, the reason we suggested an alternative wording to which we would not have objected, was the very thing she inferred in her contribution, namely, wrongdoing. It was procedurally inappropriate - I think that is the term that was used in the report. It was not ethically, morally, or legally inappropriate. Was it perceptually inappropriate, or inappropriate from the media's perspective?

Perhaps one can spin it that way. However, the Minister has outlined his own rationale and I accept the Minister's rationale. I would imagine that if I was sitting in the seats opposite, even in my darkest moment, when I possibly did not want to agree with the Government of the day, I would actually say, "Here is a former Secretary of the Treasury of the United States who happens to be the chairman. I have no hand, act or part in the decision of the board of NAMA to do what they are doing. Therefore, it is entirely appropriate for me to actually meet with the Minister."

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