Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Chairman, I have a proposal that we might hear in public session. I completely support what Senator Buttimer has said about the importance of this committee and the work it is about to undertake immediately on reviewing its terms of reference and petitions that might be considered by it. Public statements were made by you, Chairman. This is not personal at all but it is about the role you now occupy as Chairman at the first meeting of this committee. For this committee to continue in its work, public or private, those comments need to be clarified. They were publicly made, and made very recently. They are not comments from the past that someone has dug up. You are not denying you made comments on this matter yesterday in a public forum. If you cannot clarify the comments now in public, I do not see how the meeting can continue.