Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

There would be no accountability whatsoever. I cannot understand why such a provision should be allowed to stand. I would like to come back to another point later in this debate. In the circumstances I have outlined, why should the fact that the matter has been the subject of court proceedings be of such relevance? It would not need to have been the subject of an open trial. It would suffice for a summons to have been issued, for a statement of claim to have been delivered and for the matter to have been settled and money to have been paid. The commission might have backed down, admitted that it got it completely wrong, decided to reinstate the officer and issued an apology to the officer.