Question
9. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 112 of 26 May 2015 the number of cases that were before the internal review mechanism, where additional information was received or sought; her views in relation to the number of cases that have had their review concluded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27011/15]
Answer
Deputy Frances Fitzgerald: We have discussed the number of cases which were referred several times. The criteria were wide and the timeframe turned out to be quite different from what I indicated at the beginning, given the scale of the cases that were referred and the mechanism I set up. It is the first time a government has taken steps to examine a range of cases of concern to a variety of people, including Deputies. It was an unprecedented exercise which had not been previously attempted. I mean no disrespect to any politician but the idea that the Committee of Public Accounts would have the wherewithal to carry out this function is laughable. I wonder if this idea is being pushed as a sort of side show to divert attention from what is actually necessary, which is a real inquiry. This issue is far too important for people to try to grab a cheap headline or get themselves heard at a committee. I am sorry, but that expertise does not exist. We need something bigger. We need someone from outside our society to come in and analyse this. Given the huge property portfolios, American interests and so on, whose attention is now on this issue, that will happen sooner rather than later, but it would be far better that it would operate in the short term.