Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The media performances of other members of the Government in the past few days are just not credible. What we are dealing with is a family whose names have been destroyed. There are people wondering why anyone would bother being a whistleblower. They are asking themselves what would happen if they were to see a great injustice or a terrible wrong being done in the institution in which they are working and why they should bother to stand up. They are saying to themselves that the agencies of the State would pick them off and do them down. The very people in public life who are supposed to defend individuals in these situations cannot remember, pretend that they cannot remember or give a presentation of events which cannot be believed. I have absolute faith in the Minister before us and her presentation on what has happened in the past few days. I commend her for being willing to meet the McCabe family, signing them in at Leinster House - there was nothing private about it - and standing with them again today. I also commend her for her statements, but I know what she is dealing with.