Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

As I stated last week, the sections of the report which were relevant to individuals named in it were given to those individuals on the basis of legal advice to ensure that fairness and due process were adhered to. They were given a period of 15 days in which they had to respond. These issues would have to be taken into account through an amendment or annexe to a report. One would need to examine what they stated, as some may have objected or disputed something. That is what happened. The named individuals in the report received the part relevant to them.

While parts of the report have been leaked, it is still the advice to the Government that we must follow due process and give the individuals a chance. They are entitled to state their position on comments made in respect of them, critical or otherwise, if they wish. This would be taken into account before the Minister reported back to the Government to determine when the report will be published.

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