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Commissions of Investigation

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 January 2021

Wednesday, 13 January 2021

Questions (4)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

4. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Taoiseach if the opposition were consulted in advance of the most recent extension of the commission of investigation with respect to NAMA; and if he will commit to consulting the opposition in advance of the March 2021 deadline. [1149/21]

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Written answers

The NAMA Commission of Investigation was established by the Government in June 2017 following consultations with Opposition representatives and resolutions made by the Dáil and Seanad.

The Commission is fully independent in its investigations and its Sole Member is Judge John D. Cooke.

The Commission was initially expected to report on the sale by NAMA of its Northern Ireland portfolio, known as Project Eagle, by the end of June 2018. However, the time-frame for the Commission to report on the Project Eagle Investigation has been extended on several occasions following requests from the Commission in its Interim Reports.

In the Commission’s Ninth Interim Report which was submitted in November 2020, it requested a further extension as “it would be prudent to allow for a further three-month period to bring its work to a conclusion.” The rationale provided in the Interim report included the impact of Covid-19 public health restrictions on the Commission’s work and that “one individual, who had previously declined, agreed to provide evidence to assist the investigation”.

In light of this rationale, and the limited extension of three months requested, and consistent with my functions as specified Minister under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004, I didn’t believe there was a strong argument against extending the timeframe as sought by the Commission. Given these circumstances, and the ongoing pressures of business arising from Covid-19, I didn’t deem it necessary to consult further with Oireachtas members on this occasion. As with all of the Commission’s Interim Reports, a copy has been laid before the Oireachtas and is also available at www.gov.ie. The possibility of consulting with Oireachtas representatives on any future such requests by the Commission will be considered in light of the circumstances in which they arise.

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