Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for attending. From reading the statement he provided and listening to his testimony, I refer to the major role that former Minister Zappone played in securing the seat at the UN Security Council. Was it the case that the Minister felt compelled to give her a job to thank her for that role? Did he feel like he owed her for all her hard work? I ask that because from reading the notes, it is unclear whether her appointment was based on the role the Minister said Ms Zappone played in securing the seat on the UN Security Council or on her well-known record on LGBT rights in this jurisdiction. I will be interested to hear the Minister's comments in that regard.

The Minister also mentioned that he did not know about the event in the Merrion Hotel but that he did get a text. Will he tell the committee when and from whom he got that text? The Minister was not clear on that point. In addition, did members of his staff attend the event in the Merrion Hotel in his absence? I ask the Minister to confirm the position in that regard for us as well.

My final question is for the Minister and the Secretary General and concerns the sharing of documentation. The Secretary General commented that he has fewer that 30 FOI requests under review. That is very few for a Department of this size and it is quite shocking that it has been unable to get through that number of FOI requests. Will the Minister or his Department be in a position to share documentation-----