Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My understanding is that we are still awaiting correspondence, but there may come a time where we need to correspond with the agencies that have been corresponded with by the secretariat in respect of when we will receive a reply.

It is fair to say that petitions have to be dealt with in a timely fashion as well and particularly where we are corresponding with State agencies or State-funded agencies and particularly North-South bodies. I would hold the view that there is a reasonable amount of time that one would give to allow people to respond, but one's patience wears thin as well if one perceives that the process here is being delayed in any way. That petition very much remains open.