Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Is the Taoiseach saying that Government officials did not know about any of this until this week? On 22 August, there was an article in The Irish Timesby Cliff Taylor flagging concerns of this kind and indicating that Government officials are saying they are confident that any legal concerns can be overcome to allow the formal handover of documentation to get under way in earnest. It identified issues at that time. We have also learned that Department of Finance officials confirmed in this morning's Irish Examiner that they had taken legal advice and had not waived their rights in relation to the release of documents.

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