Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for the confusion. This meeting marks a milestone in that it is the first time a petitioner has appeared before us. We discussed a number of petitions with relevant Ministers and Departments but it is the first time a petitioner came to the committee to present evidence. Where specific cases are brought to the attention of the committee, we try to refer petitioners to the appropriate appeal mechanisms or the Ombudsman but if the case has wider policy implications we seek to consider it with officials or Ministers. We do not wish to discuss individual cases but we want to consider wider policy implications. I thank Mr. Egan for his presentation.