Mr. Ian Drennan:

The first thing is that any citizen of the State is entitled to litigate on any particular issue that he or she so wishes to defend his or her interests, whether in the context of a civil investigation or criminal proceedings. The point I was making in the submission which the Deputy referenced - the trial court down the line is criminal litigation - was that we find ourselves engaging in quite a lot of civil litigation for a variety of reasons. People are better resourced and better equipped to do that. That is a challenge but by the same token, it is part of the job. It is a part of the job we deal with on a daily basis. The Deputy referenced An Garda Síochána. When one is conducting civil or criminal investigations at this level, dealing with large corporate entities and that have a very significant financial quantum involved, people will defend themselves or seek to defend or vindicate their interests. We see that as part of the job. It is an integral part of the job.

Is one at a disadvantage? One can be, on occasion. If one is hit with large-scale civil litigation, it presents very significant challenges to the organisation. At the same time, it is part of what we do. It is an integral part of it. One deals with it as and when it arises.

I refer to the Deputy's earlier question and my response. That is a perfect example of why one might need to reprioritise something. It is because one needs to mobilise resources to deal with something that is urgent - for example, if one has been issued with proceedings.