Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to hear Deputy Howlin, the leader of the Labour Party, say that neither he nor the Labour Party is making allegations against anyone in or outside this House. That at least puts this story into perspective. No allegation is being made against anyone. The answer I have given Deputy Howlin is the one that has been given to me. I spoke to the Tánaiste who told me that she had no hand, act or part in this decision and that she was not aware of it until after the fact around the time it entered the public domain. The Department of Justice and Equality has told me that it was not made aware of it until after the fact. However, the Department is a big place; it is not a person. It is a body with hundreds of staff. Can I put my hand on my heart here and say that there is not one person somewhere who might have been told something by someone-----

See this speech in context