Shatter criticises Green absence from committee's Nama discussion

FINE GAEL TD Alan Shatter has criticised the absence of Green Party representatives from Monday’s Oireachtas finance committee meeting at which Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan discussed the National Asset Management Agency (Nama).

Mr Shatter claimed the credibility of Green Ministers, TDs and Senators was “in tatters” as a consequence. “Concerns about the Nama legislation resulted at [Monday’s] meeting in serious questions being put to the Minister for Finance not only by Opposition finance spokespersons and TDs but also, unusually, by backbench Fianna Fáil TDs,” he said.

“It is extraordinary that Fianna Fáil backbenchers raised serious issues whilst not a single Green member bothered to turn up.” Mr Shatter singled out Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan and party chairman Senator Dan Boyle for particular criticism.

“Having thrown media shapes during the month of August in which they sought to identify with the growing public concern over Nama, the credibility of Green Ministers and Oireachtas members such as Minister Eamon Ryan and Senator Dan Boyle is now in tatters as a consequence of the failure of a single Green to attend or participate in [Monday’s] meeting,” he said.

Mr Shatter said the Greens would “inevitably” try to claim responsibility for expected amendments to the draft Nama Bill before the Dáil debate on September 16th.

A spokesman for the Labour Party said he did not find the absence of Green representatives from the committee to be entirely surprising. “The Green Party has effectively disengaged from most routine Oireachtas business,” he said. “Their Ministers rarely attend the Order of Business, their Senators have missed crucial votes in the Seanad. We’re not totally surprised at the absence of the Greens,” the spokesman said.

The Green Party does not have a representative on the finance committee. TDs and Senators from other parties as well as Independents who are not members of the committee attended the meeting and some asked questions.

Yesterday it emerged that Mr Ryan and Mr Boyle met Mr Lenihan at the Department of Finance to discuss Nama before the Minister attended the committee meeting. A spokesman for the Green Party in Government rejected Mr Shatter’s comments. He said the Greens were working closely and regularly with Fianna Fáil on Nama.