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"Get off the stage. Get off the stage": Noonan rounds on RTÉ in row over Siteserv FOIs

Things got a little heated in the Radio 1 studios this morning.

Updated 8.34pm

THE NORMALLY UNFLAPPABLE Michael Noonan drew RTÉ into the debate over the sale of Siteserv this morning, as his post-Spring Statement interview with Sean O’Rourke became a little heated.

The Finance Minister, who gave a lengthy interview to the Radio 1 host, defended the Government’s response to Independent TD Catherine Murphy’s enquiries about the sale of Siteserv.

Noonan’s initial answers to parliamentary questions on the company from the Kildare TD had failed to indicate strain in the relationship between the Department and the IBRC.

However, Freedom of Information responses released after subsequent entreaties from Murphy showed that officials in the Department of Finance had raised concerns about how IBRC had handled a number of transactions, including the sale of Siteserv.

Asked by O’Rourke why he hadn’t been more upfront about the Siteserv concerns, the Minister insisted he had acted appropriately in response all of Murphy’s enquiries.

“It’s not a game of cat and mouse, but there are procedures there where TDs can get information,” Noonan insisted.

Asked whether he had adopted a ‘give them nothing’ approach, Noonan accused the host of “scraping the bottom of the barrel”.

“I mean, RTÉ isn’t great at disclosure,” he said, as the tone of the conversation became a little heated.

You’re sitting on reports for 12 months that you haven’t published yet – about analysis of the future of RTE… So get off the stage. Get off the stage.

Pressed again on the issue, the veteran Fine Gael minister insisted the information released in the FOIs constituted ‘background’.

“The was nothing in the files that added to the sum of the knowledge.

The files were about disagreement between us, and it was the department exercising its governance – and when the proper procedure was invoked via Freedom of Information, all the information was given out.

He said that Murphy had “followed the correct procedure” by using two options available to her to access information (Dáil questions and FOIs) and that “very precise, accurate” information had been given.

The Minister announced a review of the sale of Siteserv last week, in light of concerns over the IBRC’s handling of the deal.

This evening, RTÉ said:

Two reports concerning the future of RTÉ were published by Government last week. These reports were commissioned by Government and the timing of their publication was a matter for Government, not RTÉ.

Read: We tried to find out who Siteserv’s shareholders are … it didn’t go to plan

Read: ‘Civil servants asking the right questions are being attacked over Siteserv’

Read: Alan Dukes has A LOT to say about the ‘odd ideas’ at the Department of Finance

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127 Comments
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    Mute ThomasFrancisMeagher
    Favourite ThomasFrancisMeagher
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    Dec 16th 2013, 7:28 AM

    The Chinese need to have a word with young Kim before he does something stupid & starts a war that nobody wants.

    129
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    Mute Sean O'Keeffe
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    Dec 16th 2013, 10:16 AM

    On November 3rd, the marxist state carried out 80 public executions in seven cities for crimes ranging from the distribution of pornography and foreign merchandise to possession of a Christian bible. It has been reported that children witnessed executions in at least one case.

    According to Amnesty International North Korea executed 30 people in 2011 and 6 last year. At least 100 have been executed this year. This would appear to show that North Korea’s authorities has recently acquired a blood-lust.

    The reasons for the marked increase in rates of executions are not clear, but according to JoongAng Ilbo (the South Korean newspaper that originally reported the story) the show-piece executions were “an extreme measure by the central government to stamp out public unrest or capitalistic zeal accompanying its development projects.”

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    Mute Mick Jordan.
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    Dec 16th 2013, 12:44 PM

    Might not do any good with this lunatic Thomas. Uncle Jang was Beijing’s man in the Government. I think he actually believes his own propaganda that NK doesn’t need anyone.

    5
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    Mute Eamonn O'Riain
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    Dec 16th 2013, 7:47 AM

    An interesting approach to weeding out corruption in government.
    Why don’t we give it a whirl??

    63
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    Mute Ed Appleby
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    Dec 16th 2013, 11:14 AM

    The army wouldn’t have enough bullets to shoot the amount of corrupt greedy parish pump dictators and half arsed teachers who infest the political system in Ireland. Anyway you get what you vote for.

    30
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    Mute James O'Sullivan
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    Dec 16th 2013, 8:13 AM

    Old Moores Almanac says that a certain short fat arrogant little dictator will be gone by mid 2014.
    No idea where he’s going though…..although Florida was mentioned.

    32
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    Mute MGrey
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    Dec 16th 2013, 9:59 AM

    I thought Rabbitte was on his way to Europe?

    37
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    Mute declan hegarty
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    Dec 16th 2013, 7:30 AM

    I think Kim got the right idea…….. He knows how to keep his cabinet on their toes…………or on their backs

    If Enda was more like him our no2 would be shaking in his boots

    29
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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Dec 16th 2013, 12:38 PM

    Ah don’t worry Enda’s got his report cards….

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Dec 16th 2013, 9:22 AM

    “Pyongyang labelled him a drug-addicted womaniser who frequented foreign casinos with embezzled state funds.”

    Sounds like a family trait, Kim Jong-Un’s brother was a fan of the casinos too.

    It’s very hard to see this dictatorship ending peacefully.

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    Mute Shit you not
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    Dec 16th 2013, 8:39 AM

    Nuke em!

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    Mute MrKnow
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    Dec 16th 2013, 9:08 AM

    Is that you john mc cain??

    18
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    Mute Dom AcePlazo
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    Dec 16th 2013, 7:44 AM

    Just let them get on with it and keep sending the food parcels.

    12
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    Mute ptriley
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    Dec 16th 2013, 11:24 AM

    Let them eat cake or rice cake even !

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    Mute Donal O Neil
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    Dec 16th 2013, 2:18 PM

    Oh yes the report card no one has seen or heard of since … Bad minister , I’m going to give you 100 lashes and you can write out the constitution 100 times .

    2
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