Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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404. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding the review of documents and evidence in the matter of the unlawful death of Fr. Niall Molloy in County Offaly. [14956/14]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Questions no. 40 and 41 of 27 February 2014 wherein I informed the House of the formal appointment of Mr. Dominic McGinn, Senior Counsel, to carry out an independent examination of the report of the Serious Crime Review Team relating to the Garda investigation into the death of Fr. Niall Molloy.

As I have previously outlined, it is intended that the examination would serve two functions -

- in accordance with his terms of reference, Mr. McGinn will prepare a report on any issues of public interest which may arise from the report of the Serious Crime Review Team, with due regard to the rights of those involved, so as to facilitate his report being put into the public domain, and

- insofar as the question of any further inquiry is concerned, Mr. McGinn's terms of reference require that, taking into account existing mechanisms for the investigation of offences, he identify matters, if any, of significant public interest or concern which would warrant examination by a further inquiry and in respect of which such further inquiry would have a reasonable prospect of establishing the truth.

My immediate priority is to allow Mr. McGinn to carry out his examination so that the maximum amount of information can be put into the public domain at the earliest possible date, at which point I will also give full consideration to the outcome of the examination concerning any further inquiry.