Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

It is normal in a situation where a person is directly involved in a case that he or she does not participate. It is accepted by all groups and organisations that a person cannot be a judge in his or her own cause. As a rule, people absent themselves and do not get involved in discussions which relate to them directly. If a case arose where a member of the council was the subject of a complaint, the other members of the council would object to him or her remaining on and participating in the ensuing debate.

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