Ms Oonagh McPhillips:

If we are obtaining information in work and there is a flow of information from An Garda Síochána, then people characterise it as too close. If we are not getting information, people want us to get more. This is one of the inherent difficulties in which the Department has found itself consistently over the years. There are obviously matters the Minister needs to know and there are matters in which the Minister does not get involved. The Department's role is to brief and inform the Minister on such matters.