Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The heart of the matter is why Mr. O'Brien decided to proceed at this point. He said in his submission that when he had been appointed in 2011 there was an agreement to have a general sweep, as there had been none since 2007. For some reason, he did not proceed with it at that point. He waited until 2013 when he says the prevailing atmosphere after the various reports and testimony was becoming more complex and intense, which was something the agency was not used to, and the public discourse appeared to be exceptionally well informed. That leads me to believe there was material in the public domain that might have only come through some form of collection or leak. Perhaps he might clarify this. There has been much confusion about this point, that is, whether it was a routine sweep or whether Mr. O'Brien specifically said the sweep should take place.