A DELEGATION of Border-based politicians said they held “constructive” meetings about protecting Quinn Group jobs with Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan and Minister of State for Labour Affairs Dara Calleary.
The cross-party group, which included the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith, met Mr Lenihan late yesterday afternoon. Enterprise Ireland chairman Hugh Cooney attended their evening meeting with Mr Calleary.
Mr Lenihan told the TDs and Senators that Anglo Irish Bank, as a principal creditor, was in active discussions with the Quinn Group “to develop a solution”. Mr Lenihan also “reiterated that the Financial Regulator has an independent role to play in protecting policyholders and the wider economy”, his spokesman said.
Mr Smith said the delegation outlined to the Ministers the “concerns and anxiety” of the Quinn workforce. He said he hoped Quinn’s insurance business would resume in the UK and Northern Ireland, but stressed “we’re not privy to the data that the Quinn company were putting together for assessment by the joint provisional administrators”.
He said the administrators “said to us that they will assess it with the utmost urgency and if there is a case to be put to the regulator for consideration they will make that particular proposal”. Mr Smith said he absented himself from the delegation’s meeting with the Financial Regulator on Tuesday night “on legal advice in case there would be a perceived conflict of interest”. He said the office of the regulator would not have agreed to a meeting with the delegation if it had been improper.
Fine Gael TD for Cavan-Monaghan Seymour Crawford said Mr Lenihan “assured us, and we are all satisfied that his assurances are correct, that every effort possible is being made to try and deal with the situation that is extremely difficult and extremely complex”.
Labour TD for Longford-Westmeath Willie Penrose said: “There’s intensive work being done in relation to this matter.” Sinn Féin TD for Cavan-Monaghan Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said the delegation was returning to Cavan last night to brief workers’ representatives about the meetings with the Ministers.
Among the delegation were Fianna Fáil TDs for Cavan-Monaghan Dr Rory O’Hanlon and Margaret Conlon; Fianna Fáil Senators Francis O’Brien of Monaghan and Diarmuid Wilson of Cavan; Fine Gael deputy for Roscommon-South Leitrim Frank Feighan and Fine Gael Senator Joe O’Reilly.
