Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

On one of my first occasions to speak in this House, we were debating the motion on the Smithwick tribunal. It is the case that the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, misled the House on that occasion by withholding correspondence. It was, I understand, published subsequently, at the suggestion of the judge in the case. The information on this very serious matter was not available to us on the night of the debate.

In his statement to the Seanad, the Minister stated: "There has been some misreporting surrounding the reasons for putting forward this motion. Its purpose is not to curtail, impede, confine or interfere with the independence of the tribunal." In spite of his having said this, the Minister had received correspondence from Mr. Justice Smithwick some days earlier stating: "I see this as a wholly inappropriate attempt by the executive to interfere with the independence of my tribunal." I did not even make that charge in my speech, nor did I go as far as the judge, yet the Minister said my "hysterical and grossly distorted misrepresentation of the Government's position and of the motion before this House is to no benefit of this State or his party".