Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

May I continue? I am making my point that I believe that it was the secretariat, with the Chairman, who should have secured the attendance of the witnesses. We are in a situation now that the Chairman has described as a pity. Why should we be surprised? We took a premature vote here and we did change the intent. I agree with Deputy Durkan. It will be the electorate that will make the final decision on this and it will not matter what will happen in committee. I describe it like a jury half way through a trial and the jury foreman approaches the chair and says we are going to give our opinion now, we have found him guilty or not guilty half way through the evidence. That is where we are. That is why we have not got witnesses attending. I believe that a person of that eminence that we have decided to invite should have his letter read into the record. I am proposing that.