Professor David Farrell:

I would not say that at all. What is said in Cabinet is said in Cabinet and therefore there should be a degree of confidentiality. Many people would agree on that. However, the Minister going into Cabinet is receiving information and the official from whom he or she is receiving information might have differing views or might wish to suggest alternatives the Minister might want to consider. That is the dimension I am getting at - whether then a civil servant might be willing to speak to an Oireachtas committee and say, "the Government may have taken that decision, but this was the information that the relevant Minister went into that Cabinet meeting informed by and there were differing views, and these were the differing views".