Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not know whether it has been debated before in either of these Houses, but here we are confronted with a specific proposal to make it off-limits for any Oireachtas committee to ask the person chiefly accountable for the general administration of a body to be accountable in respect of any matter which has led to the institution of court proceedings which have been settled. I cannot for the life of me see what useful purpose is served by such a provision. The chairperson might well come in and say Mr. Bloggs sued the body but the matter was settled, and the chairperson may not want to disclose the terms of the settlement. That might be the appropriate end of it, but it might not be. If a large sum of money had been spent on defending an indefensible or losing action-----