FG: Committee must police agency to prevent ‘favours’

THE agency set up to absorb toxic bank debts should be controlled by an all-party committee to stop it “doing favours” for Fianna Fáil friends, the opposition said last night.

The National Assets Management Agency, which will buy up land deals once valued at e90 billion, will be in business by the summer, Tánaiste Mary Coughlan told the Dáil.

Fine Gael front bench spokesperson Alan Shatter said the agency should be accountable to an Oireachtas committee to ensure it is not under pressure to “do favours for friends of Fianna Fáil”. Mr Shatter also questioned whether the move to cut junior minister numbers would turn out to be a temporary “PR gimmick”.