Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With respect, I do not agree with Ms McPhillips. It is about performance of Department of Justice and Equality officials and where their powers were. Ms McPhillips has put up the argument that she advised the Minister on the basis that she could not be involved or be seen to influence the ongoing commission. That was in May 2015. There was no question of the Minister improperly influencing the Commissioner's strategy in May 2016 because the commission was over at that stage. A strategy is not evidence. Who was responsible for the Minister's speeches on repeated occasions when Deputy Wallace and I asked about this issue in the House and the Minister responded by talking about things like the alleged stance, being careful regarding as established fact something that is reported as happening at the commission that the Minister had no knowledge of, and so on? Who wrote these speeches for the Minister? Is there a person who would do that? Who would normally write the Minister's speech or send her out with that message given that the defence that it would influence the tribunal was over at this stage?