Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The first point I would make to Deputy O'Callaghan is that if he was so concerned about Tusla being included in the terms of reference, why did he not raise it himself? Why did he not raise it in his speech? I came in here last Thursday and asked for statements so I could take on board the point of view of everybody here. I was completely flexible in terms of what I wanted to include in terms of investigating it and getting at the truth. After Deputy O'Callaghan spoke to me, I contacted the Attorney General, asked her about changing the terms of reference, told her what Deputy O'Callaghan's formulation was and asked her whether it was legally sound and whether it was the way we should proceed. I had a further discussion with Deputy O'Callaghan about how it should be changed. Deputy O'Callaghan reiterated the points made here the next day but he never mentioned Tusla. Other people mentioned different things they wanted included. Deputy O'Callaghan did not mention Tusla. I had a conversation with him primarily about making sure that the terms of reference included Government Ministers, that they included great clarity and that the commission would investigate the allegations fully.

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