Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The Supreme Court will issue a judgment in due course but it has also commented. I am not here legally; I am here as a Deputy and member of the Committee of Public Accounts. The Kerins case has been misused. We are perfectly entitled to ask questions as long as we do not go beyond our remit. The Supreme Court was particularly careful in highlighting the distinction between the Dáil, the courts and so on. Chairs are coming under very difficult pressure which is not appropriate and in no way relates to the judgment. It is something we should come back to. Witnesses are free to come in and leave. The position was the same before and after the High Court and Supreme Court cases. They are free to come in and they are free to leave and we are free to ask questions. If witnesses choose not to respond, that tells us something. I will leave it at that but we should come back to it because I am tired of listening to the misinterpretation.