Mr. John O'Callaghan:

In a very general way it is expected that the Minister and the Department would be aware of any issues that will arise that are likely to give rise to public interest concerns, controversy or anything like that in the normal way, so that the Minister is not blind sided by something that might happen.

In an evolving situation, whether it is a crime, anything could arise and the purpose of the arrangements is to ensure that the Minister of the day knows in general terms what is happening and is in a position to respond to questions that might arise for him or her, either in the Oireachtas or in public. That broadly speaking is what we are at.