Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 December 2017
134. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to the trawl of documentation in his Department that was ordered by An Taoiseach in response to the O'Higgins commission, the reason only seven email accounts of departmental officials were trawled through; his views on whether this was appropriate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53382/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to refer the Deputy to the report published on the website of the Department of Justice and Equality on Monday 27 November 2017. The report outlined the search of documentation which was undertaken, which related to 13 officials (one retired).
As the Deputy will be aware, I have welcomed the fact that there will be an independent review of the response of my Department to requests for documents from the Disclosures Tribunal. The terms of reference for that review were published yesterday. The terms of reference include an examination of the actions taken by the Department in response to all requests for documents directed to the Department, including whether the Department has now carried out appropriately comprehensive search and retrieval to identify any relevant material for the tribunal and any concerns which arise. The review may also advise on what further measures, if any, might be taken to address those concerns. The Department will of course implement any further measures arising from the review.
