Oireachtas

O'Donoghue says AG had duty to act in Judge Lynch affair

THE Fianna Fail spokesman on justice, Mr John O'Donoghue, said it seemed that civil servants were to be "sacrificed" for what…

Thu Nov 21 1996 - 00:00

THE Fianna Fail spokesman on justice, Mr John O'Donoghue, said it seemed that civil servants were to be "sacrificed" for what happened. But the people would not be satisfied with that.

If the Minister for Justice and the Attorney General walk away scot free then we will have to abandon once and for all any question of there being any political accountability in this country ever again."

The Minister and the Attorney should resign, and the Attorney should attend a Dail committee to answer questions about his role in the Judge Lynch affair. When he learned that the judge was not properly a member of the Special Criminal Court he had a duty to act decisively, by contacting the judge and the Minister for Justice or by taking action in the courts.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Gay Mitchell, said Ministers could not be responsible for every action by everybody in their departments. "If Ministers were to resign because of any mistake in their offices, politics would be impossible." Serious mistakes were made in the Department of Justice, but they were not of the Minister's making, and she had taken decisive action to ensure they would not recur.

READ MORE

Mr Michael Smith (FE, Tipperary North) said this was just one of a series of "unbelievable blunders" that occurred under the Government. Fianna Fail wanted to get at the truth and that was why they proposed a Dail committee to examine the issue and find where culpability lay.

Mr Joe Costello (Lab, Dublin Central) said Labour deputies were satisfied that the outcome of the inquiry in no way suggested that the resignation of the Minister was warranted.

Mr Dermot Ahern, Fianna Fail chief whip, said the Government was treating the House with "contemptible arrogance" in failing to explain its stand on this issue.

Mr Seamus Brenaan (FE, Dublin South) said that in any other jurisdiction the Minister and Attorney General would have resigned. This Government simply "shrugged its shoulders and say there was an administrative failure".

Mr Joe Walsh (FE, Cork South West) said the Minister had a clear duty to make sure that a decision taken at a Cabinet meeting which she attended was implemented and she failed to do this.

The debate continues today.