Fiach MacConghail (Independent) | Oireachtas source

In fairness, it is not our fault. We are called to a vote in the Seanad. We have heard four different presentations, from the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland, the Irish Family History Foundation, the Genealogical Society of Ireland and Mr. John Grenham, respectively.

To pick up on Mr. Merrigan's point on conflicts of interest and potential confusion, it seems some or all of the witnesses are linked in one way or another on a prima faciebasis and I seek clarification on this. Are all the members of the Genealogical Society of Ireland also members of the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland, the APGI? It would be important for the committee to have clarification on this. I do not have a profession conflict of interest, but I do have a personal conflict of interest in that my mother is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland. I am not a member of the organisation and I did not receive a briefing over Sunday lunch, but I must state it for the record. It is unusual for a Member of Parliament to be questioning his mother at an official level.