Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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Is he precluded from discussing the issue? Has he been advised that it would better not to discuss it or has he been precluded from discussing it? There is a big difference between being advised not to do something and being told one may not do something. The Department has used the word "advised". My interpretation is that the Attorney General has not told the Department it is precluded from discussing the matter. I take the same reading from the letter from the special liquidator which refers to advice being given not to attend the meeting. There is no indication that he is precluded from attending. Some weeks ago, the chief executive of Wicklow and Kildare Education and Training Board indicated to the committee that he had received advice not to answer questions. The legal adviser to the committee stated that while the chief executive may have received advice to that effect, he was certainly not precluded from answering questions. Is Mr. Carville in the same category of having received advice but not being precluded from discussing the matter or has he been precluded from doing so? Does he understand the difference I am making between being advised and being precluded?