Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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222. To ask the Minister for Finance following the revelations made by a national newspaper regarding internal recorded phone calls in Anglo Irish Bank, if his attention has been drawn to the way those tapes came to be in possession of that newspaper. [31767/13]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I have been advised that the Joint Special Liquidators are investigating the possible source of the leak of the 'Anglo tapes' to the national newspapers. Based on the tapes disclosed up to Monday 1st July 2013 it appears that they form part of data sets that are held by the Bank and their advisors and which have been provided as part of the Regulatory Investigations and civil litigation which the Bank is involved in. These various data sets are held by the Bank itself, the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation, such other regulatory parties to whom the GBFI may have provided those materials and participants and advisors involved in the various civil litigation the Bank is involved in.

I am advised that the Special Liquidators are taking the leaking of this material very seriously and they have written to the Gardaí and the Data Protection Commissioner in that respect. They have also written to all parties whom they know have access to this material. I am also advised that the Special Liquidators intend to appoint an independent party to investigate if the leak came from IBRC or KPMG. These investigations are on-going.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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223. To ask the Minister for Finance if he or anyone in his Department issued a request to Anglo for copies of recorded phone calls between bank employees prior to the release of such tapes by a national newspaper. [31768/13]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that neither I nor any official in the Department issued a request to Anglo for copies of recorded phone calls between bank employees prior to the release of such tapes by a national newspaper. The Department of Finance does not have statutory powers to investigate such matters. It would be completely inappropriate for the Department of Finance to act outside its legal powers and conduct investigations that could compromise potential future criminal or civil investigations by the bodies responsible under statute. I am advised that these tapes formed part of the material that was supplied to An Garda Siochána as part of their investigation into matters at Anglo Irish Bank.