Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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334. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the progress of an application for a presidential pardon in respect of a person (details supplied); the anticipated timeline for future developments regarding the case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39437/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, the case in question has received detailed consideration by officials in my Department and a relevant academic has been engaged to provide expert opinion on the matter.

The academic examining the matter has informed my officials that they have now considered all the information / evidence submitted in support of the application. However, they need to access the National Archives to complete their assessment.

The Deputy will appreciate that the National Archives have been closed for a substantial proportion of the year in accordance with Government Guidelines, and, when the archives have been open, they have been operating at a significantly reduced capacity.

The academic hopes to access the archives in December and to complete her report / assessment early in the New Year.

I will consider the report once it has been submitted to my Department.