Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is appropriate that the Chair opened this meeting with those words because the nation has been gripped by that interview. I can only imagine how difficult it was to speak publicly on that. We were discussing earlier among ourselves how one would sit down with one's family and young children and explain to them that one was going to die when one should not be in that position. The words today will have a long-lasting impact on many people here. The pain that is felt by Emma Nic Mhathúna needs to be the nation's pain and her demand for accountability needs to be the nation's demand for accountability. I raised this case last week with the Tánaiste and I know my party leader raised it again yesterday. My only regret is that we are now in a situation where the victims of this scandal have to pour their hearts out on national media to demand accountability. We, on this committee, have worked well together demanding accountability from different sectors and it is important that we not only express our sympathy and solidarity with Emma and her family at this time, but also support her in her request for accountability.