Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I had a visceral reaction to Ms Fitzgerald's Bill, having been a public servant. This country is in safe hands with regard to the quality of its public servants. It is wrong to call them an elite group who want to keep information to themselves. I never met public servants like that on any Government body of which I was a member. There is always information available if people look for it.

The Bill extends the period for release of information from five to ten years and I have no problem with that. However, having been chairwoman of one organisation – I cannot say what the organisation was or I will be in trouble—