Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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To reiterate my position, as Chairman I respect the right of all members to speak openly and freely in this committee, as they are allowed to do in the Chamber. The Deputy has made it very clear that he had questions to put, and that he had made his own investigations and inquiries. No member of the committee is aware of any of the documentation or research the Deputy has carried out. I accept his statement that it is his own research. At committee meetings every week, we agree a set of minutes and we also agree a list of items on which the committee will follow up. We follow up on those items as a committee rather than having 13 individuals going in 13 different directions. We operate as a committee rather than as unconnected people. Everything we do is done by committee. Anything done otherwise is not the action of this committee. The questions that have been raised today do not have to be answered until such time as the committee agrees to put those questions to witnesses.

I thank the witnesses. They were here to listen and note what was said, but the committee has not requested that they respond to any of those matters. The committee may choose to send the transcript of this meeting and endorse all of the questions that have been put, but that will be considered and decided upon by the committee. Until that decision is made no request has issued. There are 13 members who make 13 different types of comments every week.