Micheál Martin seeks retraction from Enda Kenny of ‘partisan slur’ over bank guarantee records

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin accused Taoiseach Enda Kenny of a "partisan slur'' in claiming the previous Fianna Fáil-led government destroyed documentation relating to the banking crisis.

"The records are in place and have not been tampered with in any way,'' said Mr Martin. "The Taoiseach can say there should be more, but he cannot leave on the record of the House his slur that records might have disappeared.''

Mr Martin said a Freedom of Information (FoI) request had established that a large number of files relating to the banking guarantee were in the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Finance. He added that the Department of the Taoiseach's secretary general had confirmed that the department was fully in compliance with its legal responsibilities to keep records.

The secretary general was a person of high standing whom the Taoiseach promoted and who was a senior official when the bank guarantee was agreed, Mr Martin said. “The records are in place and have not been tampered with in any way.’’

Denying he engaged in "partisan politics'', Mr Kenny said the Government had established an all-party Oireachtas committee to deal with the banking inquiry. Many of the items listed in the documentation were "inconsequential'', he said.

Difficult economic recession

“I would have expected, at a time when the country was entering into a difficult economic recession, there would have been regular meetings about the seriousness of the matter. But that was not the case.’’

Mr Kenny said there were notes of a telephone call by the then taoiseach Brian Cowen with British prime minister Gordon Brown, points for a telephone discussion with the Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, an email from the office of the Attorney General, and so on. There was a note of a telephone call between the secretary general and the general manager of Depfa Bank.

“In that sense, I found that in all of the information I read, most of the notes are completely inconsequential,’’ Mr Kenny said. “There was one letter of substance, which I think Deputy Martin has in his possession.’’

Accusing the Taoiseach of still being selective, Mr Martin insisted consequential documents were available, such as Government memos. Some 150 documents had been obtained under the FoI, he added.

The Fianna Fáil leader said the Taoiseach had used the word “shredded’’, which was a slur on Mr Cowen. “There is no other way of putting it,” he said.

Mr Kenny said he would not cast a slur on the former taoiseach. “That is what the Taoiseach did,’’ Mr Martin replied. “He should withdraw the term ‘shredded’.’’ Mr Martin said there had been no attempt to “disappear’’ any records and the Taoiseach should be “man enough’’ to accept that was the case.

Earlier, Mr Kenny said the National Archives Act 1986 placed an obligation on departments of State to preserve records created or received in the course of performing official functions. Authorisation had to be sought prior to the destruction of records, as well as the transfer to the national archives of material worthy of permanent preservation because of their ongoing value for historical and research purposes, he added.

Mr Martin said within weeks of entering office, the Taoiseach played low partisan politics on the banking issue, particularly the banking inquiry.