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

I share the Deputy's expressions of sympathy with the families of Andrew O'Donnell and Max Wall and the entire St. Michael's College community. It is every parent's nightmare that something like this would happen. It is deeply saddening and shocking. In time, I hope, the great memories they shared with their sons and families will give them some consolation in the very traumatic and difficult time ahead. I thank our consular staff in the Department of Foreign Affairs, who worked with the families.

I am conscious of the role of the Women of Honour in bringing forward and shedding a public light on these issues. I had several discussions with the group and other organisations and representative bodies on the form of inquiry and the terms of reference. The Attorney General met the legal representative of Women of Honour this week. I will have a further meeting with them this evening. I have an open mind regarding the issues; I am not closing anything off but a balance must be struck between trying to get things moving and timelines. I am open to people's perspectives in the House on that matter. I would like to try to get the tribunal up and running before we recess. The Deputy will be aware, from her legal background, that a lot of preparatory work must then happen, such as discovery and work-up before hearings even take place. I have discussed with the groups and others the question of a public tribunal of inquiry or a commission of inquiry and how to protect people who may wish to come forward but may not want the subject matter of their issue to be in the public domain.

That is a legitimate issue. There may be ways we can deal with that such as in camerahearings and so forth. I have listened intently to what has been said in that regard and I will be mindful of what people say in that context when I bring recommendations to the Government in respect of both the form or format of the inquiry and the terms of reference.

On the terms of reference, I do not detect a great difference between the issues. In many instances it is about how the terms of reference are interpreted as to whether they cover a range of issues or whether they do not. We have received legal advice that many of the issues that have been raised are covered. For example, the Department Ministers are covered in the terms of reference. Protected disclosures, which a number of groups raised, are covered. Civilian employees are covered. Quite a range of issues were raised which we have clarified and brought within the terms of reference, but there could be further discussions about those terms of reference.

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