Sinn Féin and United Left Alliance TDs walked out of the Dail in protest today as the Government handed over €700M to unsecured bondholders at Anglo Irish Bank.
Padraig MacLochlainn and Pearse Doherty were among the TDs who walked out after the Government refused a debate on the issue.
The Taoiseach told the Dáil he does not know the names of the bondholders who will benefit from today’s payment.
He was responding to Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams, who said there was a need for transparency.
Deputy Adams asked the Taoiseach to get on the phone to the chairman of Anglo Irish Bank and tell him to withhold the payment.
The Sinn Féin leader said the “golden circle is still in place”, claiming the chairman’s political allegiance as a former leader of Fine Gael who still keeps his TD pension and current salary.
Independent Shane Ross asked the Taoiseach why the Government did not instruct Anglo Irish Bank to embark on a buy-back campaign of bonds.
Sinn Féin was first to leave the chamber, followed by members of the United Left Alliance, led by Richard Boyd Barrett.
“You will not even give the parliament the right to vote on the handover of all the money you have taken out of the health service,” said Mr Barrett.
The Taoiseach said the ECB had refused a Government request not to hand over the money.
The Taoiseach said he would love to say it was not necessary to pay the money, however when the Minister for Finance tried to negotiate with the ECB on the money it was not possible.
“The position of the Government was clear in February when we were elected on a mandate to pursue growth and not default.”
He was responding to Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin who quoted Government party promises that Anglo would not get ‘another red cent’.
He said promises to burn the bondholders had driven down the price leading to a situation where today’s bondholders were getting double the return on their investment.
He accused the government of failing to put the issue on the negotiating table.
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