Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I wish to take up a point made by Senator O'Meara, who served as a valued and valuable adviser to the then Minister of State, Ms Eithne Fitzgerald. I was served in Cabinet for a number of years. The Senator said it was her belief that the reason for changing from five to ten years was to ensure that decisions taken in 1998 by the Cabinet would not now see the light of day. Given that I was a Cabinet Minister for those five years, I wish to make it clear that it is widely agreed, even if it is not often said, that this measure is not at all, to quote one of the words used this morning, outrageous. In fact, the commissioner has not commented on it. In the context of other countries, ten years is relatively early.

I cannot let the debate proceed without stating clearly that I was a member of the Cabinet for those five years and never missed a Cabinet meeting in that period. I am not seeking a good attendance mark, but simply explaining my position. The Senator seems to presume that dark events occurred because she said that events that have happened since 1998 cannot be judged in the light of day. That is incorrect. I speak not just for myself but for the general Cabinet. That should be on the record.