Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can only tell the Deputy what happened. This letter apparently arrived in my Department on 10 March. It arrived in the context of issues relating to the civil action that was taking place. I understand there was some initial meeting on 10 March and a further meeting on 11 March. I think the substantial focus on the part of officials in the Department was on the proceedings, which I cannot go into in any detail. Clearly, the letter had information that was of importance. I can only say to the Deputy that it was not furnished to me. I can say to him that an enormous volume of correspondence of a very important nature comes into the Department of Justice and Equality on a daily basis. This would not be the only important piece of correspondence that would be received. Both during the day and going home in the evening, I would normally take a substantial amount of papers and correspondence with me.

In the context of the events of that week, I do not have my diary in front of me but my recollection is that Deputy Niall Collins, Deputy Mac Lochlainn and I follow each other around with some regularity and we would have spent all of the Wednesday morning on the DNA database legislation. From what I remember, I think that week - I am open to correction - the Cabinet meeting was on a Wednesday and not a Tuesday. That would have occupied my full day that day. On the Friday, I was in the Department of Defence. On the Thursday, the Secretary General of my Department was at the Committee of Public Accounts and I think he spent some considerable time, because the committee was dealing with other matters, waiting to deal with matters at the committee. As events fell, the letter was not furnished to me.

I went to Mexico for the St. Patrick's Day ministerial arrangements and did a series of things in Mexico through the Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I was not back in Dublin until the Friday. The reality is, and the way matters worked out, and as we know from my reply earlier today to, I think, Deputy Mac Lochlainn who raised it, the Taoiseach had a conversation on the Sunday evening with the Attorney General. I was briefed on it on the Monday. The letter was not furnished to me. I was briefed on the matter but was not told of the letter. I did not receive a letter but my officials, in fairness to them, gave me a sufficiently detailed briefing for me to engage with the Taoiseach and the Attorney General on the issue. I received and was made aware of the letter from the former Garda Commissioner only on the Tuesday, as I detailed earlier today in the statement I made to the House.

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