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

Deputy McDonald should not malign me either. I will not take a lecture from her on due process and fairness. I have always supported due process in every situation. In fact, it has been a hallmark of the way I approached this entire issue. I have been providing answers. As the Taoiseach said yesterday, I am not trying to hide anything. I was not part of any conspiracy to undermine Sergeant McCabe; quite the contrary. When Sergeant McCabe came to see me he spoke, for example, about the penalty points and all of the work that he felt needed to be done on that. That is just one area he raised with me. I took a whole range of actions to make sure the penalty points system was changed and I acted on many of the recommendations he made. That is just one example of taking seriously what he had to say.

I would make the point that these issues are before the Charlton tribunal. I conferred with Deputy McDonald's colleagues and other Deputies in this House on the terms of reference of that tribunal and all of these issues are yet to be determined by the tribunal.

In terms of the email, what I have said about when I was told about it is accurate. That is absolutely accurate. I was asked previously if I contacted officials after our party meeting. I did not contact them until the Thursday. That is when I spoke to them. I initiated the contact-----

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