Army ATM issue has been ‘put to bed’, Taoiseach insists

Taoiseach Enda Kenny came under renewed pressure in the Dáil about his comments that the Governor of the Central Bank had told him to prepare to deploy the Army.

But Mr Kenny said Patrick Honohan had recently spoken on the issue and said the matter had been “put to bed”.

Sinn Féin's finance spokesman, Pearse Doherty, challenged Mr Kenny about the remarks he made to a European People's Party meeting in Madrid last week, which provoked Opposition criticism, as well as similar remarks made at a fundraiser and in the Dáil.

No specific briefing

The Taoiseach later acknowledged that he did not receive a specific briefing from the Central Bank but said the issue was discussed by a Government taskforce that included the Central Bank.

The Taoiseach insisted: “I make no apology for having to deal with clear warning signs that were there about the economic collapse and about the collapse of the euro and those contingency plans covered all those issues.”

But Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath intervened and said “you presented it as a national issue in Madrid”.

Mr Doherty said the Taoiseach had given the impression that “somehow, within 48 hours, you thwarted disaster and saved us all from catastrophe”.

Honohan said

He pressed Mr Kenny on the event where Prof Honohan suggested that he should deploy troops at ATMs.

He claimed the Taoiseach told his “tall story” three times and asked if he needed to correct the Dáil record of the House on the matter.

Mr Kenny, noting the absence of Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald, said it showed the respect they had for the Dáil that they were off fundraising in the US.

Mr Adams walked into the chamber a short time later and the Taoiseach subsequently acknowledged his presence.

Pressing the Taoiseach, Mr Doherty said the “specific question is your claims at Fine Gael fundraisers, at your meeting of the EPP and in this Dáil on 20th October, where you state very clearly that the governor of the Central Bank, somebody who sits on the general council of the ECB, came to you on a Wednesday and he told you that we need to execute this plan on Friday”.

Mr Kenny insisted the contingency plans covered all the issues, adding that the Governor had said the issue had been “put to bed”.

“So you were spoofing,” Mr Doherty interjected.