The chairman of the Oireachtas committee inquiring into the shooting of John Carthy has written to solicitors for the gardai involved to see if they are prepared to give evidence.
Mr Sean Ardagh said he had contacted legal representatives for the Garda Emergency Response Unit "just to see exactly what the position is". Nine members of the ERU have requested exemptions from giving evidence to the sub-committee. However, according to a report in the Irish Independent, members of the ERU have indicated they are fully prepared to give evidence to the inquiry.
After a sub-committee private session yesterday, Mr Ardagh said the only thing he knew about the ERU's willingness to appear was of the reports he had read.
A spokesman for the Garda Press Office said the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, "was always of the belief that the ERU would give evidence". They would require certain arrangements, such as a screen to hide their identities, and would wish not be identified in the media.