Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman and witnesses. I wish the acting Secretary General the best of luck in her role, as I have done already. It is certainly a very challenging role. I have a number of questions and I will jump from area to area. I had been listening and watching some of the committee proceedings earlier. I could not watch it all unfortunately. I refer to the four parliamentary questions I tabled and to which Ms McPhillips referred earlier. I just happened to walk in at the same time. Is it not astounding that when I asked the Department of Justice and Equality a question which relates to particular events on 15 May, all of a sudden these emails were found? As we all know, 15 May, is a critical date with regard to the whole issue of the O'Higgins commission.

I have listened to the various different answers given to Deputies and Senators regarding discovery and the format of discovery and so on. I believe Deputy Clare Daly went through the terms of reference earlier on and if one looks at them, there are documents that obviously and clearly were required by the Charleton tribunal. I cannot understand how correspondence on that specific date was not provided. It only after questions were put in, followed up by the media and mounting pressure, that all of a sudden this email arrives. The following correspondence comes on from that.

Does Ms McPhillips understand that from the public point of view, they cannot comprehend how this is the case? Frankly, they just do not believe it.