Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My view on this matter is well known to the committee. I saw the correspondence from the clerk whom I thank for it. I would not necessarily agree with it and one would not expect me to. We have unfinished business, particularly in regard to the process that was engaged in here. I believe there are serious issues with the evidence given. We are not getting the full picture. I understand the areas into which the clerk has said we do not need to stray. The justice committee can deal with them; that is fine and I understand that, but I do not believe it has to be a long meeting.

I agree with the Chairman's suggestion that we should have the author of the report, Mr. O'Driscoll, come here. I believe - I am supporting Deputy Marc MacSharry who wrote the letter to the committee a couple of weeks ago - that we need to have Mr. John Barrett, Mr. O'Driscoll, Mr. Leahy and the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality come here. The Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality needs to join the dots on a few things in respect of the process and procedure followed because the evidence given here when we were dealing with this issue had loads of holes in it, certainly for me. I have followed the issue very thoroughly, as everyone knows. There are real issues that need to be addressed but strictly not about policy or the subject matter that falls within the remit of the justice committee. This is about the process that was gone through and we have a duty on behalf of the taxpayer to get to the bottom of it. There is a requirement for us to bring in the four individuals in question. We can set a defined timetime for the meeting, if the Chairman wants. If he wants to have it after lunch after another meeting in a couple of weeks, I have no issue with that.

In fairness and in deference to those concerned with the issue about which we spoke in regard to HIQA, I am not even saying what I propose has to be done in the next week or two, as long as we do it in a couple of weeks' time. It has to happen because this issue is far from over. I have so many questions about the evidence given and, in particular, the process used. This is historical; it is about decision-making in the spending of public money. I believe we need the full picture. We need the author of the report who, by error, I left out and did not include in my list. It was accidental and right to correct me. The author, Mr. John Barrett, gives out the resources and has asked to come before the committee, or said, in writing, as members can see, that he is willing to come before it. The person in charge of policing in Dublin, Mr. Leahy, and the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality should also be invited because certainly there are questions that come from the Department's side also. I do not believe the meeting has to be long. In fact, if we are given the answers, it could be very short.