Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I am amazed the last meeting took place on 7 March given everything that is happening.

There is an unprecedented storm going on in terms of the behaviour of An Garda Síochána, the scandals around the breath tests, wrongful convictions and the questions over the Commissioner, yet the Cabinet committee did not meet since 7 March. It is absolutely extraordinary. Even more extraordinary, the Taoiseach does not know when the next meeting will be.

I want an answer to a very specific question. In my experience, it is unprecedented to table a parliamentary question and not get an answer within four or five days. I have raised this on several occasions. I tabled a parliamentary question on 23 February - I want to know if the Taoiseach's committee discussed this - asking how many people under the remit of the Department of Justice and Equality were suspended on full pay pending investigation. I received an answer stating it was 26. I asked a follow-up question, which was whether the Minister could give a breakdown of the agencies under the Department of Justice and Equality in which these suspensions took place, the grade involved and the length of time the suspensions were in play. The Minister told me that she could not answer me. I find it completely unacceptable that she refuses to give me information. I do not believe that she does not have the information. To be frank, I suspect the information is being withheld because it is relevant to the question of whether Nóirín O'Sullivan should remain in position when she is under investigation for very serious matters.

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