Madam, – Watching Oireachtas Report on proceedings in the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday night made disturbing viewing. The chairman of Anglo Irish Bank, Alan Dukes, refused to answer questions put to him by Senator Shane Ross in relation to appointments to the board of the bank and the salaries being paid to them. I would like to know why.
It seems to me that the questions asked were by no means unreasonable and were very pertinent, particularly since most (if not all) of the €22 billion given to the bank by the Irish citizen will not be repaid. Mr Dukes’s comment that he was refusing on the grounds that it was likely to end up on the back page of a newspaper – referring presumably to Senator Ross’s newspaper column – is reprehensible. I would say two things to Mr Dukes. The citizens of this State have every entitlement to have these questions answered – since they own the bank. If analysis of the answers appears on the back, or any other page of a newspaper, then so much the better. Not everyone has the strong stomach required to watch Oireachtas Report these days.
It did not take Mr Dukes long to assume a personality trait associated with so many of the senior bankers in Ireland – arrogance. – Yours, etc,