Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

If, for instance, there is an indictment of the prison system, the Minister should be in a position to have the other side of the story heard before he or she comments. One cannot just reply "I do not know" to whether an issue is right or wrong and look to find out if a matter is true or false. The public will not accept a Minister looking for time to answer such a question.

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