Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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118. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the date on which officials in her Department were first informed of the existence of a Tusla file regarding a person (details supplied); if her Department was informed of this file’s existence by either Tusla or the Department of Children and Youth Affairs or by another entity; the action taken on foot of receipt of this information; the other Departments or State agencies that were informed regarding the existence of this file; and the date on which such information was provided to same. [9763/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will appreciate that the Disclosures Tribunal, with Mr Justice Peter Charleton as its Sole Member, has now commenced its work.

Among the matters it has been asked to investigate are:

'the creation, distribution and use by TUSLA of a file containing false allegations of sexual abuse against Sergeant Maurice McCabe...' and contacts between members of An Garda Síochána and, among others, members of the Government, any other State entities, or any relevant person as the Sole Member may deem necessary to carry out his work relevant to this and other matters.

In the circumstances, I am constrained in adding anything to the information which I have already supplied to the House about this matter.

I would, however, make the general point that I have no ministerial responsibility in relation to TUSLA; nor do I or my Department have access to its records. Equally, it would not fall within my remit to take any action in relation to matters which may have arisen within TUSLA in dealing with an individual case.

I can also confirm that prior to the broadcast of a recent Prime Time programme, my Department had no knowledge of the details of any interaction between the Minister or Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the person affected arising from this matter.