Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley has said the names of the 10 individuals who borrowed €300 million from Anglo Irish Bank to buy 10 per cent of its shares should be made public if it is legally possible.
Mr Gormley said last night the Greens had put direct questions to Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan and were satisfied that they did not know the identities of the individuals concerned.
The Green Party leader added he was satisfied that no Cabinet member had encouraged the deal, even by implication.
A Government spokesman said consideration was being given "as to whether it is legally possible to obtain the names from anybody other than the Financial Regulator, or to make the disclosure in any other way".
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny tonight said the refusal to name the 10 because of "banking confidentiality" did not stand up to scrutiny.
Speaking at the Fine Gael Dublin Euro convention, Mr Kenny said taxpayers were entitled to know who they were bailing out.
"That argument did not apply in the NIB scandal when the Supreme Court ruled that the public interest to have access to the relevant information overrode the right to confidentiality when there was wrongdoing involved," he said.
Mr Kenny also called for the removal of boards in both the guaranteed banks and the Financial Regulator, saying it was necessary for a clean start. He also said salaries for banking executives should be capped at €250,000 until money was repaid to taxpayers.