Dr. Brian Doherty:

I am not in any way trying to avoid or evade the question, but the Deputy will appreciate one of the cornerstones of the LSRA is its independence. Something we have also put in the strategic plan is that we will be independent in our decision-making. This means we have to follow the evidence to where it may lead us. We are still in process of gathering that evidence. We see the section 34 report as significant. We have been heartened by the fact we have had so many submissions and we have had engagement from members of the legal profession in some of the firms in Dublin and elsewhere, from junior barristers and junior solicitors. We are still in the process of analysing this evidence. The research team was conducting interviews on Monday and Tuesday of this week, so it is too early to say, from the point of view of the LSRA, as to what the direction of travel might be regarding the issues the Deputy has raised. The intention and the statutory imperative is that by 30 September we will have published and submitted a comprehensive report that will deal with the issues raised by Deputies Chamber and Wallace.