Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not wish to be personal in relation to the Secretary General for whom I have the utmost respect, but this is an issue of a process of a Secretary General appearing before a committee.

The letter that issued yesterday, I acknowledge, was a breakthrough, but it is conditional. First of all, it places the onus on the Chairman to determine if this is relevant committee, that it is not the Committee of Public Accounts. It also places the onus on the committee to inform all other committee chairpersons. What I am saying, very simply, is that the committee has agreed unanimously - I am unaware as to whether Deputy Deasy was present or supported this proposal - that the Secretary General come before the committee. The Secretary General informed the Committee of Public Accounts that he would only be appearing before it, if that is correct. I am willing to stand corrected on that. We offered him between five and six different dates on which we could facilitate his attendance before this committee.