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Updated 6.45pm
THE TAOISEACH HAS said that the upcoming banking inquiry is the “most appropriate way to establish the full truth” about the bank guarantee.
Speaking as the motion to establish the committee of inquiry was debated in the Dáil this evening, Enda Kenny said that the guarantee had caused hardship for people.
“The Irish people have suffered great hardship due to the banking crisis. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs. Many more have suffered pay cuts, while more again have been forced to emigrate.
A generation of people have suffered the consequences of negative equity and the following collapse of the construction industry. Ireland lost its economic sovereignty and had to be bailed out.
“The country was placed under the supervision of the Troika while difficult decisions were taken to return the public finances to order.
“In these circumstances, the Government believes that the Irish people are entitled to a full account of the banking crisis.”
Kenny said that there are some involved who will want to tell their story, but added that the committee will have powers of compellability.
The committee will be led by Labour TD Ciarán Lynch with three Fine Gael TDs – John Paul-Phelan, Eoghan Murphy and Kieran O’Donnell – Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath, Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty, and independent TD Stephen Donnelly also part of the inquiry with two senators to be added shortly.
Donnelly today implored the government to add economics professor and independent senator Seán Barrett to the committee. Donnelly also said that he hoped that the party whips would be removed from government members of the inquiry.
Labour is expected to pick either senator Aideen Hayden or the party’s Seanad leader Ivana Bacik as its second representative on the committee.
An attempt by the opposition to put outspoken independent TD Peter Mathews on the inquiry was voted down by the government despite opposition pushing for his inclusion during the debate:
Mathews also proposed a motion to compel bank executives from the period 2001 to 2008 to come before the committee, but this was also voted down.
Of opposition attempts to add him to the inquiry he said he had written to the Taoiseach seeking to be included.
“This is a matter of service to the people, it’s not politics,” he claimed.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin, a cabinet member at the time of the guarantee, said that the public doubted whether politicians wanted to get to the bottom of the crisis or exploit it.
He said that he hoped the inquiry would not become politicised and called for the inquiry to implement a rule whereby ministers would not be informed by Department officials if the committee has requested certain documents.
Concluding the debate, inquiry chairman Lynch said that it would not be a substitute for the courts, but would strive to find out what had happened in 2008.
- additional reporting from Hugh O’Connell
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Who do i send the money to so they then send me back the presidency?
That’s how it anyways works….I know as I have a guy over there with 24 million quid for me…
I have direct email contact with the prince of Nigeria himself! I’ll try to get you a meeting if you like?
original…
I’ll take anything at this stage that isn’t a comment about Irish Water.
I won the Nigerian lottery last week so I can afford to run no probs
@HULK
Very funny.
We all know the story, the whole planet knows the story.
Why did i read that in al pacino’s voice?
We aaawwl know, the stoorey. This whole damn PLANET…..knows th’ stoorey..
The 405000 Nairs no problem but you also need to be able to rig the ballot box look what happened Abiola won the election ended up in jail and somehow died.
We have just the man for ye over here top man enda kenny is he’s name, and that’s he’s monthly salary so no probs on that front.
There are corruption, suicide bombings, beheadings and mass-abduction of children in Nigeria, people are being tortured and ruled by a dictator in Zimbabwe and many women have been raped and/or murdered or have been killed by botched sterilisation procedures in India. It makes me think that the people of these countries were better off when these countries were ruled by the British.
Jasus lads, you’ll give Bertie ideas now.
Sounds like a perfect scam for Dennis obriens portfolios
Adonbilivit
If your in a political party here it costs nothing to run for a European election. If your not it costs 1500.
Donations can be had from Ireland
Just need your bank account details blah blah blah
have your say