Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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102. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if a civil servant in his Department made contact with a member of An Garda Síochána in connection with the events of 23 and 24 June 2017 when a civil servant in the Department of An Taoiseach was arrested outside Cabra Garda station; and if so, the details of the contact between 23 June 2017 and to date in 2018. [19332/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is referring to a matter which was raised in an anonymous protected disclosure. That correspondence was received in my Department on 22 November 2017 and was referred to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) for investigation on 8 December 2017. My Department had no knowledge of, or involvement in, the events referred to by the Deputy prior to receiving the protected disclosure in November 2017.

As the Deputy will be aware, this matter was the subject of media coverage in late 2017 and early 2018. The Deputy will recall that he wrote to me regarding the matter and I also answered parliamentary questions from other Deputies relating to these issues.

I am assured that there has been no attempt to interfere in these matters by my Department. I am further assured that, with the exception of normal engagement in the context of parliamentary questions and media inquiries, no official in my Department has made contact with a member of An Garda Síochána in connection with the events referred to by the Deputy.