NAMA revelations

Nat O'Connor: The Irish Times has a series of articles on NAMA, based on documents they got through freedom of information requests.

These include a Fianna Fáil backbencher's call for “serious and major” improvements to the NAMA legislation, the Law Society expressing concern about the NAMA assets not appearing in the Land Registry or the Registry of Deeds, and Ulster Bank arguing it would be eligible to participate in NAMA after all.

It's a pity that more of this information wasn't in the public realm when NAMA was first introduced, as we might have had a more balanced debate about its merits and flaws. Likewise, it is a pity that this information did not come to light until after the NAMA vote in the Oireachtas and its signing into law. Nevertheless, the releases provide food for thought on how NAMA will operate.

More freedom of information releases on NAMA and other topics can be found on The Story website, which is "dedicated to sharing documents, combing and combining data and promoting transparency in public life".