Tanaiste Mary Harney has a clear strategy in trying to get Ansbacher (Cayman) to open its files and give her access to further details on the controversial Ansbacher deposits money held by it in the Irish banking system on behalf of Irish resident. By highlighting their reluctance to hand over the information she is trying to turn the spotlight on their partner, Henry Ansbacher in London and on the ultimate owner, the First National Bank of South Africa - both "reputable banking concerns", as the Tanaiste put it in the Dail this week.

Ansbacher (Cayman) has indicated that it will not be voluntarily handing over the information. Just how vital this informantion may be is open to question. The Tanaiste has said that her authorised officer, Gerard Ryan, has uncovered important new information on the operation of the accounts, which was not shown by the McCracken tribunal. Access to the results held in the Cayman Islands would no doubt allow some holes to be filled in, as Mr Ryan works to complete a picture of how the accounts operated.

However, he is already in possession of considerable information from the files of Guinness & Mahon and the Irish Intercontinental Bank, the two Irish banks in which Ansbacher (Cayman) held the deposits. This information will surely have given Mr Ryan a good idea of the beneficial ownership of the Ansbacher deposits. The question now is just how vital the Ansbacher (Cayman) files are in completing the picture?