Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has expressed incredulity at the findings of the review into the Department of Justice’s failure to forward key documents to the Charleton Tribunal.
Deputy Shortall said:
“The review carried out by Senior Counsel Michael Collins shows an alarming degree of incompetence and laxity within the Department in its handling of correspondence on highly sensitive matters related to the whistleblower Maurice McCabe.
“It beggars belief that relevant emails from May and July of 2015 were not sent to the Tribunal until November 2017 on foot of a trawl ordered by the Taoiseach after concerns were raised in the Dáil.
“This review is just the latest in a string of inquires that have raised serious questions about the judgment of senior department officials and its record keeping capacity. If the department was so lax in its dealings with an Oireachtas-appointed Tribunal of Inquiry, how can we have any confidence in its handling of other serious issues related to policing and national security?
“There is nothing in this review that indicates that any senior officials are to be held accountable for the serious failings that it outlines. This is incredibly disappointing as it is clear that nothing will change unless people are held to account at the highest level within the civil service and public administration.”
ENDS
28 March 2018