Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator Darragh O'Brien's amendment calling for the Minister for Justice and Equality to attend the House, given the pantomime of recent days since last week's "Prime Time" programme when the Minister regrettably used information that ordinarily should not have been brought into the public domain and does not form part of the normal day-to-day work of a Minister. This is not to defend the Deputy or to take the side of those promoting issues in the Lower House. However, receiving a briefing of this nature from the Garda is reminiscent of a regrettable era that is gone and that we do not want to see in this nation again. It is a concern that gardaí or the Garda Commissioner are holding files or sharing information of this nature about any Member of the Oireachtas, a celebrity, a television personality or anyone else. It is reminiscent of what we heard about J. Edgar Hoover in the US and the files that he kept on everyone whom he deemed a political adversary or potential danger.