Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is not credible. I asked the Taoiseach if he believes the Minister should have met Mr. McCourt and whether he thinks he was wrong to do so. I ask for a straight answer on that. The minutes are clear that four key items that the Department had raised were discussed. Mr. McCourt underlined his ongoing commitment to the process and addressed the four issues which he understood had previously been raised by the Department for clarification.

The issues raised include the need for a permanent Irish-based leadership position, the need for streamlined decision-making processes within the consortium, the importance of the 15 August 2018 deadline and the need for the necessary financing to be in place. That is not discussion of an administrative nature. The need for any changes in the make-up of the consortium to be avoided or, where such are necessary, kept to a minimum was also raised. The importance of this issue is understood by the consortium. This is the goddamn meat of the bid. This is Mr. McCourt saying he has answered the case.

Does the Taoiseach not find it extraordinary that we are even discussing this? An admission that the Minister and an official were at the lunch but that a Chinese wall was erected such that the Minister heard nothing of the conversation regarding the national broadband plan is not credible. It is beyond question that the bid has been contaminated. The Department should stand back and stop giving us that mumbo jumbo about Chinese walls, discussion of an administrative nature and such nonsense. A Minister should not have met a key bidder in the context of a massive project and a State contract with hundreds of millions of euro at stake. That is a basic point. Ministers and decision makers should be insulated from such lobbying and canvassing.

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