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

I am not a member of the commission. The commission decided to do this and I do not know why it did so. It is making assertions that it did this on the basis that it guaranteed anonymity to those who came forward. No member of Government was involved obviously in the commission's work, as the Deputy knows. That is important, because the impression is being given that the Government could do something now about how the commission operated; it cannot. What the Minister has done is written to the commission. The commission is saying it is irretrievable but the Minister is still pursuing it from a technological perspective to see if it can be retrieved in some form.

The decision was taken by the commission in advance of the publication and so on. I will be very clear. The Minister has written. Unfortunately, there are limitations to what the Government can do here and the Deputy knows that. The Government is very focused on what it has committed to doing as regards access to information, information and tracing legislation, reporting on the redress situation by the end of April and other matters. The Minister is also engaging with the Attorney General right now to see what further measures can be taken and to see if he can indeed effect the retrieval of these tapes or a reconsideration of this matter by the commission.

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