World Bank payment controversy
Deputy Murphy challenged the Taoiseach’s account of the €141 million payment made to the World Bank before Paschal Donohoe’s appointment. The Taoiseach said his figures came from Finance officials, asked for the business case to be published, and said he would reconcile the differing notes.
I want to return to the issue of the €141 million paid by the public to the World Bank in advance of Paschal Donohoe taking up his new job. Yesterday the Taoiseach told me a formal business case was prepared by the Department of Finance and the low option was €141.4 million. I have read the business case. It lists a number of options. It lists option 3, which is the World Bank's envisaged level and what it was asking for - €131.4 million. It describes the €141.4 million as the higher level option, not the low option. Would the Taoiseach like to correct the record of the Dáil? Can he explain why we paid €10 million more than the World Bank asked for?
Comment on this
The figures I gave yesterday and the comments were from the Department of Finance presentation to me. I have asked that the business case be published. There was an FOI in relation to that. There was a suggested contribution from officials of €150 million, if there was a wish to go further. The Minister agreed on the €141 million. I will seek to reconcile the various notes the Deputy has with the notes I have, which I articulated yesterday in the Dáil. We are talking about the 75 poorest countries globally that are supported by this organisation. That was the context.