As the Taoiseach indicated to the House on 24 October 1990, on being informed on 18 August last by the Investment Bank of Ireland of the difficulties facing the Goodman Group, he summoned a meeting of available relevant Ministers and senior officials to consider the matter.
This was the point at which I first became aware of the group's difficulties, apart from some media reports and suggestions that the group was in difficulty in the week or so preceding 18 August. The Taoiseach has already indicated to the House on 24 October the action taken to deal with the situation. I had no discussions with Commissioner MacSharry regarding the difficulties of the Goodman Group as such; the Commissioner and I discussed on a number of occasions at the time measures to assist the beef sector as a whole in the light of the difficult market facing the sector and of the implications for the sector of the Goodman Group's difficulties.