Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At the outset the Deputy said he felt I would not comment on the suitability of the candidate. That is not the case. I am going to comment on the suitability of the candidate. As far as I am concerned, the Attorney General was an entirely suitable candidate. I refer the Deputy to section 4 of the Courts (Supplemental Provisions) Act of 1961, as amended by the 1995 Act, which deals with the question of qualification, eligibility and suitability. In terms of the decision of the Government to nominate the current Attorney General to office, it is clear that matters such as the significance of her experience as Attorney General and constitutional and legal adviser to Government were important considerations lending considerable weight to the provisions of the 1995 Act. Further, I refer to the skills and expertise of the Attorney General in providing advices over a number of years, in very difficult and challenging circumstances, to the Government of 2011 to 2017 in terms of the economic, social and political issues it faced. She provided advice on a diverse range of matters-----